Prairie Lotus

Hanna faces discrimination and intolerance in LaForge throughout the story. Her first challenge pertains to attending school and getting her diploma. After she succeeds, her challenge shifts to establishing herself as a dressmaker in Papa’s shop. In what ways are these two challenges similar, and in what ways different? Use story details to support your ideas.

Mama is not present in the real-time of the story because she died years before, when Hanna was just 11. Mama, however, is a defined and well-developed character in the narrative. How does the author indirectly characterize Mama? What impact on Hanna’s character development does the memory of Mama’s traits and characteristics have? Use the text to support your answers.

Prairie Lotus offers descriptive imagery that helps the reader travel via imagination to the time period. What details in this narrative do you think are most helpful in transporting readers to 1880 Dakota Territory? Choose four or five images and details to list with quoted descriptions. Discuss why you believe each image would appeal to or affect readers.