Paradise

The Convent is a strictly feminine space, allowing the women there to be and do things they otherwise could not. What does this say about the relationship between men and women in the novel as a whole?

Religion is important for the people of Ruby, a small town with three congregations—the Baptists, the Methodists, and the Pentecostals. What commentary, good or bad, does Paradise make on organized religion?

Each chapter is named after a woman. Since Morrison chose to organize the chapters by these women’s names, what effect does this have on the narrative structure, and what does it say about the role of women in the novel?