The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss

Why do you think the memoir uses different fonts to show the switch between Cooper’s and Vanderbilt’s points of view? Compare and contrast Cooper’s and Vanderbilt’s use of font and structure and discuss how they reflect their points of view and self-characterizations.

Cooper and Vanderbilt’s conversation helps them know each other better, strengthening their bond. How are Cooper and Vanderbilt similar? How are they different? How do these realizations strengthen their parent-child relationship, and is Cooper ultimately more like his mother or his father?

Cooper and Vanderbilt both suffered the loss of a father at a young age. How have they dealt with this loss in similar and different ways? How does gender affect these different methods of handling grief?