Ironweed

1. On page 216, Francis says: "My guilt is all I have left. If I lose it, I have stood for nothing, done nothing, been nothing." Using Francis as an example, explain how guilt can control a person's actions and how it might negatively affect his or her entire life.
   
2. Sometimes novels and plays (e.g., Hamlet) utilize ghosts to interact with characters. Describe how dead people are used in this novel and what purpose they serve.
   
3. Francis has a history of running away (see p. 147). Trace the instances of this in his life, explain why you think he ran away in each case, and state whether or not you think he was justified.
   
4. Almost every location which Francis visits, starting with the first line of the novel, contains images of death. Describe those locations and explain why you think the author utilized them so often.
   
5. Francis calls himself a "bum." In what ways is he a bum? How is he different from the stereotype of a bum?
   
6. How does Francis's relationship with Helen contribute both to his ability to survive and to his problems? In other words, for Francis, what were the advantages and the disadvantages of his relationship with Helen?
   
7. Select one of the following statements and explain how it illustrates a significant part of Francis's character:
   "He had stood staunchly irresolute in the face of capricious and adverse fate." (p. 75)
   "'I got the idea that my hands do things on their own . . . "' (p. 143)
   "Francis needed to believe in simple solutions." (p. 209)
   
8. If you met Francis on the street this evening, what might you say to him? What might he say in return? Write a dialogue of the conversation.
   
9. You are a psychiatrist whom Francis visits. Write a report that summarizes Francis's psychological problems.
   
10. Suppose that after the novel ends, Francis decides to write a letter to Annie. Write that letter as he would write it.

1. The novel begins on Halloween, climaxes on All Saints' Day, and ends on All Souls' Day. Research those important days in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church and explain their significance to the events in the novel.
   
2. Look up information about some of the real life figures mentioned in the novel (e.g., Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson).
   
3. Terence Winch, in American Book Review (May-June 1985), states that Francis's return to Albany forces him to choose between his two lives: "the wife and children he left long ago and the new wife and friends he has accumulated during his years on the bum." These divided loyalties, Winch claims, "are emblematic of Irish-American history." Research what Winch is referring to specifically in Irish-American history. What does he mean by "emblematic"?
   
4. Conduct a study of "bums" in your town. Where do they spend their days and their nights? How do they manage to survive? Explain why you think they live the lives they do.
   
5. Is there a program to provide clothing, food, and shelter for homeless men and women in your town? Investigate and report on the success (or lack of it) of a local soup kitchen or halfway house in helping derelicts.
   
6. Read another novel about an Irishman - e.g., The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy or A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce - and compare the strengths and weaknesses of the main character of that novel with those of Francis Phelan.
   
7. In Ironweed there is mention of a kidnapping in which Francis's oldest son is somehow involved. Read Kennedy's Billy Phelan's Greatest Game where the details of that kidnapping are revealed, or read one of his other novels. What are the similarities in style and characterization?
   
8. From the vocabulary words you recorded in your journal, select ten and use them in a brief description of a person you know.
   
9. Create a scene from Francis's past, when he was a baseball player. Write several lines of dialogue that will reveal something about Francis's character as he interacts with other players or fans.

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by William Kennedy