Essay Questions

Why does Bernadette struggle to get along with the other parents at Bee's school?

Bernadette is not your typical stay at home mom, or your typical soccer mom, come to that. She does not even want to pretend to be one and so this isolates her somewhat from the other mothers whose children attend school with Bee. She does not tick all of the boxes that one is required to tick in order to truly fit in, and this is why she struggles to get along with the majority of the other parents. For their part, the other mothers seem suspicious of Bernadette, largely from jealousy. She has never lost her sense of self, and never really settled down in the way that they have done. Bernadette does not care about what society wanted her to do, and this makes it difficult for her to get along or understand those parents who have.

Bee seems to take after her mother a great deal. What are some of the ways in which this can be seen?

Both Bee and Bernadette are free spirits, but paradoxically they are also very driven academically. Bee has certainly inherited her mother's intellect, and her work ethic, earning a trip to Antarctica for exceptional grades. Bernadette is an award-winning architect; both have an almost borderline insanity kind of genius that makes it hard for them to settle into day to day normality.

Bee is also a girl who likes the unusual. Most teens when given the choice of vacations would pick Disney World, or perhaps a ski trip in the winter. The majority would not pick Antarctica, yet this is her first choice, and something she doesn't even have to rack her brains to come up with. Both Bee and her mother are inherently passionate about learning.

Why did Bee get thrown out of Choate?

Bee is a very smart, academically-gifted girl as witnessed by the perfect grades that earn her a dream trip to Antarctica, and also by the fact that she was accepted into prestigious Choate in the first place. However, at the time of her entering the school, Bee's life is up in the air. Her mother has disappeared and she has no idea where she is. Her father is responsible for Bernadette's disappearance, because he has been having an affair that someone as smart and intuitive as Bernadette is well aware of. Bee is going through a time of great turmoil and acts out; her grades slip too. She also wants to take her promised trip with her father which she cannot do if she is attending school, so getting expelled is actually a catalyst in her life for things starting to improve.