Big Little Lies Youth

Shocker, we know: a novel set in the orbit of a kindergarten has something to do with youth.

It's not just the five-years-olds whose youth is of note in Big Little Lies, however. Jane's youth is notable because she's so mature. Abigail's youth is notable because she, um, thinks she's so mature. Madeline mourns her lost youth, and Celeste is deeply concerned about making the wrong impression on her young sons.

At the end of the novel, everyone is a little older and a little wiser.

Questions About Youth

1. Does Big Little Lies portray aging as tragic? 
2. What mistakes does Abigail make because of her youth?
3. Why is Madeline so threatened by Bonnie's youth?

Chew on This

Big Little Lies shows children as being fundamentally innocent.

Big Little Lies makes no connection between youth and innocence.