1. What was Jim like in high school? What did people expect of him?
2. What happened to Jim after high school?
3. To what does Laura object? What does her mother say in response about the relationship between men and women? Do you agree with Amanda's statement? Why, or why not?
4. Of what does Amanda's dress remind her? Why might she always think back to this time?
5. What three things are united in Amanda's memory? In what way are her associations bitterly humorous?
6. Why can't Laura sit at the table with Jim O'Connor?
7. Does Amanda understand why Laura is afraid? What words does she use to describe her daughter's behavior?
8. What reason does Amanda say she has for forcing Laura to open the door?
9. Does Tom seem willing to take part in bringing Jim together with his sister?
10. What quality does Jim value? Which characters have this quality? Which characters lack it?
11. What does Tom see as the problem with movies?
12. What has Tom joined? Where has he acquired the money?
13. To whom does Tom feel that he is similar? What desire makes the two similar?
14. In what way does Amanda appear before Jim and Tom? Why do the two men react differently to her presence?
15. What happens when Laura comes to the table? Why might she apologize to her mother and not the others?
16. By the end of the dinner, how do Amanda and Jim get along? Why might they get along so well?
17. What happens to the lights? Why?
18. What does Amanda suggest that Jim do?
19. What do Laura's brief responses reveal about her feelings? Is she comfortable? overwhelmed? nervous? annoyed?
20. What description of Laura does Jim suggest? How does he feel about such a girl?
21. What shared memory establishes a connection between Laura and Jim?
22. What made high school hard for Laura? Did other people notice this difficulty?
23. In what way is Jim disappointed?
24. In what period of their lives—past, present, or future—do Laura and Jim seem to be focused? Do they have the same feelings about this period? Why might Jim be focused on it? Laura?
25. What problem does Jim say that he and Laura share? Do you agree with his assessment of Laura? of himself?
26. What does Jim do with his gum? What does this action reveal about him?
27. What does Jim really think about himself?
28. Why does Laura give Jim the glass unicorn to hold? How does she feel about the unicorn?
29. Does Laura talk about the glass animals as if they were objects or companions?
30. What happens to the unicorn? What does Laura say about her favorite piece being broken? How do you think she really feels?
31. How does Laura imagine the horn made the unicorn feel? Is this a feeling with which she is familiar?
32. What does Jim say about Laura? Why is she special?
33. What does Jim say that hurts Laura? Has he misled her in any way?
34. What does Laura give Jim? Why does she give this to him? Is this an appropriate gesture? Why, or why not?
35. Given what has occurred, in what way is Amanda's song ironic?
36. What is Amanda's response when Jim thanks her for her hospitality? Why is this comment appropriate given the evening's outcome?
37. What does Amanda say about Tom?
38. Why is Amanda angry with Tom? Is she more angry with the expense incurred or in the sad situation of both mother and daughter?
39. What does Tom say about his sister? What image does he use to describe her?
