Headmaster's Wife (Greene) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. What did you think were the central themes of the book, and how did they resonate with
you?

2. The novel explores the taboo subject of a teacher—student affair. What did you think of the
author’s handling of this?

3. "Maybe, I think, this is what love is." There are several varieties of love portrayed in the book:
passionate affairs, marriage and parental love. Discuss the depiction of love in all of its
forms.

4. The river is described as "timeless and uncaring." Explore the symbolic resonance of water in
the book and what it means to the characters.

5. How did your opinion of the headmaster and his wife change throughout the course of the
novel? Did you understand them more having encountered both points of view?

6. "Time is malleable. Memory fails. Memory changes." Discuss the representation of time and
memory throughout the pages of the book.

7. What do you think the structure of the novel brought to your reading experience? Did the
narrative switch surprise you?

8. Ethan’s death has a profound effect upon his parents’ lives. Explore the theme of loss and
grief in the book.

9. What did you think of the author’s representation of the boarding-school culture at
Lancaster? Has it altered any of the views you currently hold?

10. Were you satisfied with the ending of the novel? Which character did you sympathize with
most, and why?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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