1. In her later years, Jessie finds herself unable to listen to music. Does this reaction seem rational to you? Have you ever had a negative experience that led you to dislike or fear something because of its association with that experience?

2. Fox has faced criticism for the passivity of her black characters. Do you believe the black characters in The Slave Dancer should have been portrayed as more assertive? If so, should Jessie, a white character, also have been depicted as stronger? What might have happened to the characters if they had taken a more active stance against their circumstances on the ship?

3. Both The Slave Dancer and William H. Armstrong's novel Sounder (1969) tackle difficult issues in black history, yet their authors are white. Some critics argue that these authors lack the perspective needed to accurately portray black history. How do you respond to this viewpoint?

4. Some critics have pointed out that the novel's main characters are male. Do you think Fox should have included more prominent female characters? How might the story have changed if Jessie had been a girl?

5. Jessie plays his fife while the slaves "dance." How crucial is his music to this scene? Do you believe the slaves would have "danced" just as well without the music? If so, why does Captain Cawthorne insist on Jessie playing?

6. Near the book's conclusion, Cawthorne demands that Jessie play his fife right before a drunken dance. Why do Cawthorne and the other men want to dance with the slaves, who are dressed in elegant costumes? Could this dance symbolize similarities between the captors and the captives?

7. Cawthorne refers to Jessie as "Bollweevil." What is a bollweevil, and why does he choose this nickname for Jessie?

8. Jessie's mother works as a seamstress to earn a living, despite long hours and low wages. Considering her situation and the working conditions for women in the mid-nineteenth century, what other occupations might she have pursued?

9. Do you think Fox should have incorporated humor to alleviate the novel's somber tone?