Member of the Wedding (McCullers) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. At the beginning of The Member of the Wedding, McCullers writes: “Standing beside the arbor, with the dark coming on, Frankie was afraid. She did not know what caused this fear, but she was afraid” (6). What do you think Frankie is so afraid of? Does she overcome her fears in the novel, and if so, how?

2. Regarding The Member of the Weddingg, McCullers told Tennessee Williams: “I was trying to recreate the poetry of my own childhood.” Although the novel takes place in the 1940s, many of the emotions Frankie experiences are timeless. In what ways does McCullers present a universal portrait of adolescence? How does Frankie’s discussion of the circus freaks in Part One relate to her own experiences?

3. Part Two begins: “The day before the wedding was not like any day that F. Jasmine had ever known” (44). How does Frankie’s sudden feeling of belonging to something affect her entire perspective?

4. As a result of this feeling of belonging, Frankie’s behavior and attitude significantly alter in the span of a day. How does McCullers make this rapid change and Frankie’s reaction to the wedding believable?

5. Bernice states: “You have a name and one thing after another happens to you, and you behave in various ways and do things, so that soon the name begins to have meaning. Things have accumulated around the name” (108). What does Bernice mean by this? Do the names Frankie, F. Jasmine, and Frances have different meanings? If you could change your name, what name would you choose?

6. Frankie says about people, “People loose and at the same time caught. Caught and loose. All these people and you don’t know what joins them up ” (115). What is Frankie trying to convey to Bernice here? In what ways are people both caught and loose? In what ways is Frankie herself caught and loose?

7. Frankie states: “It was better to be in a jail where you could bang the walls than in a jail you could not see (148).” What is Frankie’s jail? What jails surround Bernice and John Henry? Do you have such jails in your own life?

8. Carson McCullers is one of the twentieth century’s most prominent southern writers. In what ways does McCullers evoke the South and its culture in her writing? How representative of the South do you think The Member of the Wedding is?

9. Although the wedding is a central focus in the novel, little is said about the actual event. Why do you think McCullers chose to limit the wedding scenes? How does this reflect on Frankie’s obsession with the wedding?

10. Frankie frequently states that Jarvis and Janice are “the we of me.” Why does Frankie have such a strong need to belong to something? What prompts her to decide that the wedding is what she most wants to be a part of?

11. Many characters who play very significant roles in Frankie’s life are on the periphery of the novel, such as Mr. Addams, Jarvis, Janice, and the soldier. How does McCullers portray these characters adequately in a limited amount of space? What are the advantages of focusing the novel on just three main characters?

12. The Member of the Wedding has been made into a successful play and a major motion picture. Why do you think people are so drawn to this story?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

top of page (summary)