A Little Princess Essay Questions

Why does Sara travel to England rather than stay in India with her father?

At the time of this book's publication, many colonial bureaucrats such as Captain Crewe lived in India with their wives and children. However, these children, like Sara herself, were often sent back to England at a young age to be educated. Sara's father worries that the climate in India is unhealthy for her, and wants her to receive a British education. While many British citizens and colonists took pride in the colony of India, it was also regarded as exotic, inferior, and rather dangerous. Therefore, it would have been considered important for an upper-class British child like Sara to leave India and return to England for much of her development. In terms of the book's plot development, this background provides a justification for placing the protagonist in a totally new environment, thus making her situation all the more pitiable and dramatic after her father dies.

How does Sara's fantasy of being a princess help and influence her in the book's beginning, middle, and end?

At the start of the novel, Sara has every material gift a child could want, but feels somewhat lost and lonely without her beloved father. She fantasizes about being a princess who distributes "largess" to the less fortunate in order to give herself a sense of purpose and to help her strategize about how to share what she owns. After her father's death, Sara's fantasy helps her avoid despair. Pretending to be a deposed princess allows Sara to hold on to her identity regardless of her changing circumstances, and gives her the motivation to share what little she has with those who need it more. Finally, after Sara once again becomes fabulously wealthy and well-cared-for, her fantasy actually keeps her grounded: the symbolic princess figure reminds Sara of the responsibility that accompanies her high status and opulent lifestyle.

Identify three antagonists from this novel. Describe what makes them antagonists and what motivates each character.

This novel's primary protagonist is Miss Minchin, the gratuitously cruel headmistress of Sara's school. She originally treats Sara well, but, upon discovering that she is no longer wealthy, makes her life as miserable as possible by housing her in an attic, letting her go hungry, and treating her harshly. Though Miss Minchin is partly motivated by greed (leading her to spoil Sara when she believes she stands to benefit financially from doing so), her greater motive is pure malice. She delights in seeing children suffer, and especially hopes to destroy Sara's self-control and sense of self.

Lavinia Herbert is an antagonist among Sara's peers. She lacks the power Miss Minchin has, and is therefore a less formidable enemy, but uses what power she has to hurt other girls' feelings, spread rumors, and even report on Sara to the more-powerful Miss Minchin. Lavinia's motives are primarily jealousy and resentment. Because she is older than other students and from a wealthy background, she believes herself deserving of the money, attention, and adoration that Sara receives.

Finally, Miss Minchin's sister Amelia is a somewhat more complex antagonist. She performs certain unpleasant tasks, such as informing Sara that her father has died, on her sister's behalf. Because she has a timid personality, Amelia never purposely harms others, but she is so afraid of her sister that she does not defend or protect those who suffer at Miss Minchin's hands. Amelia's motive is fear, but she redeems herself at the novel's end, overcoming her fear to scold her sister for her cruelty.

Where is dramatic irony used in A Little Princess, and what effect does it create on the novel as a whole?

The third-person omniscient structure of A Little Princess tends to lead to instances of dramatic irony, since the narrator is able to reveal the thoughts, feelings, and plans of a great many characters to the reader without the antagonist having knowledge of them. Dramatic irony appears in two significant instances here. First, the narrator gives the reader insight into Miss Minchin's villainous intentions long before she reveals her true colors to Sara. When Sara first meets Miss Minchin, she feels a mild skepticism in the face of the headmistress's unctuous attitude, but is too good-natured to suspect anything more nefarious. The narrator, however, informs readers that Miss Minchin dislikes Sara and is only after her family's money. Readers, then, are braced for a conflict between the two characters long before Sara herself is.

Later, readers are privy to a happier secret. When Sara believes that her life of drudgery has no end in sight, the narrator makes clear that Sara's neighbor is looking for her and has every intention of saving her from her misery. This creates a feeling of tension and frustration, since readers see the two characters living in close proximity without knowing how to help one another. At the same time, this dramatic irony offers hope and the sense of an upward trajectory for readers, even while Sara herself is still learning how to cope with her difficult reality.

Characterize Sara's friendship with Becky and describe the way their relationship changes over the course of the novel.

When Sara and Becky first meet, an immense gulf separates them in terms of money, power, and reputation. Becky is the lowliest servant at Miss Minchin's school, while Sara is the school's most-prized student. In spite of their differences, or perhaps because of them, the girls develop a bond. Each girl is intrigued by the other's foreign lifestyle and manner, and Sara is able to offer Becky food, which she sorely needs. After Sara's downfall, their relationship's power dynamic flips. Sara is unaccustomed to life as a servant, and, even more than that, is unaccustomed to being treated with coldness and disrespect. Becky helps Sara adjust to her new life, even helping her dress in the morning before work. Though she is unable to offer food or material assistance, her knowledge helps Sara survive. Finally, at the book's end, it appears that their respective positions are restored to their original state: Becky remains a poor servant, while Sara is even wealthier and more influential than before. However, Sara elevates Becky's position somewhat by giving her a job as her own personal maid. This both lessens the gulf between them and reifies their class difference, implying that Becky deserves a degree of respect and comfort, but that she is naturally inclined to a working-class life, just as Sara is inclined to a life of leisure.