Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright is one of the most original and unforgettable characters in literature. With illegitimate stamped on her birth certificate in red letters, she grows up in a desolate world of poverty, violence, and sexual abuse. Strong stuff, the book gives “stand by your man” a whole new level of tragic meaning. Hard to believe, this was a debut novel.
--1001 Books for Every Mood

Readers Guide by Phyllis Rosenblum

Overview

Set in rural South Carolina, this National Book Award nominated novel, published in 1992, is a sharply drawn portrait of working class family life. The story of the Boatwright clan is the story of how an extended family struggles to survive its own tragedies and find dignity and love in their lives. It is also the story of class conflict and discrimination, the impotence of many to avert tragedy but, in the end, the way some find salvation.

The book also provides sharp insight into class differences and how they affect the lives of people every day. The Boatwright family and the story of the 12-year old-Ruth Anne and how she grows from the illegitimate child of a child-mother to an adolescent is compelling reading.

Discussion Questions

1. Allison uses this quote from James Baldwin as a foreword to her novel: “People pay for what they do, and still more, for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it simply: by the lives they lead.” How does this quote connect with the way Dorothy Allison leaves the story of Ruth Anne.

2. Allison is considered by many to be a feminist novelist. How does her portrayal of the Boatwright women reflect a feminist viewpoint?

3. What is the role of the mother in this novel? Discuss her actions or lack or actions and why you think she chose this route? Are there ways in which the mother’s experience plays into the role of Glen and Ruth Anne?

4. How does the character of Ruth Anne deal with her relationship with her stepfather? What is the psychology of the abused child that Allison shows in this novel?

5. Throughout the novel the reader often has a feeling of foreboding about the relationship between Ruth Anne and Daddy Glen. Is this helpful in understanding the decisions the characters make?

6. Allison uses the church and religion in interesting ways in this novel. Describe your reaction to this and whether you believe the outcome was positive or negative in terms of organized religion and its role or lack or it in the lives of these working poor.

7. This book is in 1001 Books for Every Mood under “For a wallow in a slough of despond...” Is this novel, ultimately, a story of despondence? In what ways is it also about redemption and overcoming difficulty?

8. There are many famous Southern novels in which the role of the Southern mother is very important. Ultimately, what is your reaction to the mother in this novel and is it consistent with others you have read?

9. Gospel music plays an important part in Bone's imagination and in her life. What role does religion play in the lives of the members of the Boatwright family?

10. Bone’s aunt Raylene plays an important role in showing the position of women in Greenville society. Describe this, and the role Raylene plays in Ruth Anne’s life.

11. Dorothy Allison has said, in interviews, that she based Bone's experiences in this novel on her own life story. What do you think Allison is trying to accomplish in this fictional account?

12. In 1992, New York Times book reviewer George Garrett called this novel "as close to flawless as any reader could ask for" and "simply stunning," and praised Allison's "perfect ear for speech and its natural rhythms." Do you agree?

About the Author

Called “one of the finest writers of her generation” by the Boston Globe and “simply stunning” by the New York Times Book Review, Dorothy Allison was born and grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. She now lives in Northern California with her partner, Alix Layman, and her son, Wolf. She is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, she describes herself in an interview that appeared on salon.com and which took place when she was writer in residence at Tulane University as a feminist writer who “would never have started writing if there had not been a women’s liberation movement in the early 70s.

In an interview conducted as part of the annual Zale Writer in Residence Program at the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women at Tulane University in November 1995, Allison is quoted as saying: "I often run into young writers who ask me the question 'How can you tell those terrible stories about people? How can you make them seem almost real, or liveable or loveable?' And my theory is that if you create a character and if you tell enough about that character, even if you are creating someone who is a villain or someone who does terrible things, if you tell enough about them, then you have the possibility of loving them."

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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston,
This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
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Phyllis Rosenblum

Phyllis Rosenblum was Senior Vice President and head of Community Development for HSBC Bank USA for over 16 years. She was responsible for a staff of 16 and a portfolio of over $500 million in community development loans and investments. Prior to that she was special assistant for community affairs at the Federal Reserve Bank of NY.

Since her retirement in 2006, Phyllis has consulted in the field of community development. She serves on the NY advisory board of Enterprise Community Partners and coaches and mentors as a volunteer.

Phyllis counts herself lucky enough to have been in two book reading groups over the past 10 years. Reading, yoga, pilates and tai chi are her favorite pastimes.

*Slough of Despond

From John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, the Slough of Despond is a bog which the main character, Christian, must struggle through on his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.