In many ways, Marked by Fire is really a story about women. Yes, Abyssinia is a woman (or she is by the time the book ends, anyway), but beyond her, all of the heaviest hitters in this tale are women—we're talking about Mother Barker, Patience, Trembling Sally, and Lily Norene. Beyond this, the women of Ponca City are a tightknit community, ready to lend a helping hand to each other any time it's needed. They bring food over, they sew quilts for each other, and they are constant sources of information for each other. We meet some powerful individual women in this book, but when the women of Ponca City gather together, look out—they'll have you know that nothing can stop them.
Questions About Women and Femininity
- How would you define Mother Barker and Abby's relationship? Why? Remember to bust out evidence from the text to support your argument.
- Compare and contrast the community of men who gather at the Better Way Barbershop (Chapter 5) to the community of women who gather at Abby's house at the end (Chapter 30). What do you notice? What does this tell you about femininity as a theme in this book?
- Why doesn't Lily Norene get away from her husband?
Chew on This
The reason Lily Norene doesn't get away from her husband is because he successfully isolates her from the community of women in Ponca City. Abby alone can't lure her away, but if all of the women were able to reach her, Willie Johnson wouldn't stand a chance.
The women of Ponca City are mighty powerful, but it only takes one man to bring any of them down.