89 pages • 2 hours read
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
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Essay Topics
Wamariya writes that she and Claire have a “knotted relationship” (260). What does she mean by this, and what are some contributing factors to the complexity of their relationship? How are they different, and how are their needs different? What does Wamariya need from Claire, and does she get it? What does Wamariya admire about her sister?
Describe Wamariya’s struggle to assimilate in America. Why does she feel disconnected? How do people misunderstand her? What do they assume about her, and how do their experiences contribute to these misunderstandings? How are her experiences similar when she speaks in front of crowds? What does she do in response?
How does Wamariya feel in between cultures in America, and how does this contribute to her sense of lost identity?
Explore Wamariya’s relationship with literature. Which works resonate with her most, and why? What does she learn from literature, and how does her own writing help her on her journey?
How do Wamariya’s experiences in Rwanda illustrate how the nation’s journey and her own journey are similar?
How do the physical conditions Wamariya endures as a refugee contribute to a sense of dehumanization?
Wamariya writes that many men, including Rob, abuse their female partners because they themselves are suffering a loss of power. Explore women’s powerlessness as presented in The Girl Who Smiled Beads. How do men subordinate women, and how do different women respond? What does Rob’s tendency to abuse Claire and Wamariya when he feels subordinated suggest about the power hierarchy?
In the Ngozi camp Wamariya meets refugees who steal “with a code” (70): when they take a farmer’s food, they leave a vine or a seed so the food will regrow. What other moments of humanity does Wamariya witness during her years of suffering? What does this suggest about human nature?
Discuss the role of mothers in the book. Consider Wamariya’s mother, Mama Nepele, Linda, and Mrs. Thomas. Also consider Wamariya’s own role as caregiver to Mariette. What is the role of a mother, in Wamariya’s view? How does she demonstrate the search for a mother as she goes from place to place?
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