The strategy of almost everyone in this novel is to turn their backs when things get difficult. Gemma wants to avoid talking about the past. Becca's family wants to avoid facing what happened to their family during the Holocaust. The people of Chelmno want to avoid thinking about the atrocities that happened in their town. We want to avoid paying our phone bill.
Briar Rose is in many ways a critique of that strategy, building an argument for facing the hard things in life head on.
Questions About Avoidance
- Why does Becca's family try to prevent her from traveling to Poland?
- Compare and contrast the benefits and problems that arise from Gemma's inability to remember her past.
- Why did Gemma's family avoid asking her questions about the past?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Gemma's episodes of memory loss were caused by poisonous gas and old age.
Gemma's episodes of memory loss were due to repression. She couldn't bear to face her memories of the past.