Marsh King's Daughter (Dionne) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. Why hasn’t Helena told Stephen about her past? Is she wrong to have kept it from him? Has she endangered her family by keeping it a secret?

2. Is Helena a good wife?

3. Why do you think the author sets Helena’s story alongside the fable of The Marsh King’s Daughter? In what ways are these two stories similar? How does the fable shape your understanding of Helena’s character?

4. Does Jacob love Helena? Does he deserve her love? If The Hunter's appearance hadn't revealed Jacob's dark side, would Helena ever have broken with her father?

5. In the end, Helena thinks, "I am no longer my father’s shadow" (p. 302). What does she mean by this? How has her idea of her father changed?

6. Was Helena’s mother wrong for not saving her? Does Helena do enough to help her mother? How does Helena’s relationship with her mother change over time? Is Helena a good daughter?

7. While it’s clear Helena loves her two daughters, is she a good mother? In what ways does her own upbringing affect the way she raises Mari and Iris?

8. Is Helena better for being part of society? Is she truly healthier at the story’s end? Will she ever be okay?

9. Does Helena see her responsibilities within her own family differently at the end of the novel?

10. What does Helena mean at the end when she calls it "our story" (p. 291)? How has her life changed during the course of the novel?

11. How does Helena’s relationship with nature shape her view of the world, and does this relationship change once she leaves the cabin? How do the beliefs of the Ojibwa people shape Helena’s values? In what ways do these values suit Helena in the world she discovers outside of the marsh, and in what ways do they hinder her?

12. How does place inform this story? What would the story lose if the setting were changed? Might another setting suit the book, even if it were to change it?

13. Why are we fascinated by stories about survivors of abduction like Helena, whether in fiction or nonfiction?
(Questions issued by the publishers.)

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