Hummingbird

How does Lloyd use secondary characters like Hatch to develop the novel’s theme on the importance of support from friends and family? How is social support important to more than one character in the novel? Use specific examples from the text to support your response.

Novels-in-verse, narratives written as several individual poems or one long poem, are popular mediums through which to explore heavy emotions. What does Lloyd’s decision to cast some of Olive’s reflections as free verse poems add to the text? You may wish to consider when and where the free verse sections occur in the novel and what emotions they represent for Olive as you construct your response.

Research Emily Dickinson and her poem “Hope is the thing with feathers.” What limitations did Emily Dickinson live with? How do you think the topics and tone of her poetry correspond to Olive’s own outlook on life? What purpose do the allusions to Emily Dickinson and her poetry serve in the novel?

Research Appalachian culture. What elements of the culture does Lloyd use in the novel, and to what effect? How do Olive’s surroundings influence her? You may wish to analyze literary devices like diction and voice.

Although the novel utilizes magical elements, faith and references to religion also feature prominently in the novel. What is the relationship of magic and folklore to faith in the novel? How does Lloyd depict different kinds of spirituality? How do different characters display different relationships to religion and spirituality?

Consider the irony of the final chapter, when Olive and Hatch use their wishes for one another. How do the wishes of the two characters ultimately reinforce or complicate one or more of the novel’s themes?

Analyze the evolution of the hummingbird symbol throughout the novel. Is it a mostly static symbol, or a dynamic one? How does Lloyd develop it throughout the narrative? What do you think the title Hummingbird ultimately represents?

After watching the chickens hatch in Chapter 28, Olive reflects on the different kinds of brokenness, and how some can be good and some can be bad. What kinds of brokenness feature in the novel? Do you think that brokenness can ever be a positive thing? Use specific evidence from the text to support your response.