Pavilion of Women (Buck)

Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)

Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Pavilion of Women:

1. What do you make of Madam Wu? Describe her as a character. Over the years, she has cultivated perfection— would you consider her impeccability a strength or a flaw? How do her standards of wife and motherhood compare with ours...here and now? In what ways does she differ from her daughters-in-law?

2. Why is her marriage a disappointment to her? What prompts her, on her 40th birthday, to insist that her husband take a concubine? What do you think of Mr. Wu's reaction? Where do your sympathies lie, at this juncture?

3. As a Westerner (if you are), how do you feel—morally, ethically, or philosophically—about Madame Wu's insistence on a concubine? Do you find this custom troubling...if so, for whom? If not, why?

4. What about the rights and feelings of Ch'iumping (Autumn Brightness) who takes Madame Wu's place in her husband's bed. All actions have consequences, as does this one. What responsibility does Madame have toward the young woman?

5. Describe Brother Andre and his relationship with Madame Wu. What does he offer her—or represent to her? In what ways are his religious views unorthodox. How do they differ from those of Little Sister Hsia? How does he change Madame Wu? Do you find Brother Andre convincing as a character...or is he more a mouthpiece for Buck's ideas?

6. The book's conflict lies in the tension between personal freedom and larger responsibility to the group. How is that conflict resolved at the end.

7. What does Madame Wu come to learn about herself, her soul and freedom?

8. Are there particular passages in the book which struck you as particularly thoughtful or insightful? Or suprising? If so, read them to the group and discuss why they moved you.

9. Does this book deliver? Is it a compelling read? Are the characters engaging, the ideas significant? Are you satisfied with how the novel ended?

10. Have you read other books by Pearl S. Buck—The Good Earth, for instance? How does this one compare? What about by Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan...or perhaps Khaled Housseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. If so, are there any similarities?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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