Then Came Hope Discussion Questions by Louise Gouge

 Then Came Hope Discussion Questions by Louise Gouge

A bit of history:

Before the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Negro Regiment was formed, black men were not permitted to serve in the Union army. After Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists at last convinced the President that well-educated northern blacks should and must be permitted to join the fight to free southern slaves. The heroism of the various Negro regiments is legendary, as shown in the 1989 film Glory. But there is more to the story. Once these men were trained and sent to fight, they received far worse treatment by southern troops. None were taken as prisoners after a battle, as white Union soldiers usually were, but rather, they were brutally slaughtered, their bodies were desecrated, and those who became separated from their units were never heard from again. Nevertheless, northern black men lined up to prove themselves qualified to fight. Then Came Hope is the story of one such courageous man and the young woman, once a slave, who is now free to love him. 

1.         The entire fabric of the southern way of life was destroyed by the Civil War. In the tenuous social climate of the South immediately after the war ended, Union soldiers enforced martial law while southern men desperately tried to regain control of their own destiny. How did former soldiers turned lawmen, Massey and Case, try to be fair to Ezra even as they intimidated him to keep him from getting “uppity.” Considering the pre-Civil War southern social structure, was the behavior of these men and other southerners understandable? How might they have responded differently?

 2.         Ezra has grown up a free person in Boston, where he received his education alongside white students. How does this affect his self-concept compared to the former slaves’ attitudes about themselves? Why does Ezra doubt his calling to become a minister? How does he change through the course of the story? What/who causes those changes? 

3.         Delia has been a mistreated slave all her life. She has never had a chance to develop her own personality, so she copies what she has seen in others. Are her feelings of low self-esteem understandable? How does she grow and change throughout the story? What does she learn through working for Miz Kate? How does she grow to maturity in other ways?

4.         Delia frequently remembers Beulah, who became a sort of surrogate mother when Delia’s mother died. Yet the old woman also seemed to mistreat Delia. Do you agree with Delia’s eventual reasoning, that Beulah had tried to keep her from running away because she loved her? Why or why not?

5.         What does Jack represent in this story? If he had not died, what might the future have held for him in the post-war South if he did not change his attitude and tactics?

 6.         Many people in the pre-Civil War South did not own slaves or believe in slavery. Owen Burns and Kate Saunders represent this segment of the population. Each is an enigma, eschewing slavery and working on their small farms. Although they obviously have been in love since childhood, why didn’t they get married? What will the future hold for them now that Mama will be placed in an asylum? 

7.         A caste system frequently existed among house slaves and field hands. Beulah had taught Delia that she was better than field slaves. Alice resented Delia because of her supposedly easier life in the “big house.” How did these women resolve their differences? How did Miss May and Mr. Willard change Delia’s opinion about field slaves? In what other ways did they affect her life? 

8.         At the end of the Civil War, approximately two million former slaves needed to figure out what to do with their lives, while northern free blacks no longer needed to fear being kidnapped and sold “down the river” into the South. What will the future hold for Ezra and each of the seven former slaves in our story who traveled together? For Leviticus, Alice, and their children? For Adam, staying in Boston in a service job? For Miss May and Mr. Willard? For Ezra and Delia if they go West? What will the future hold for any children they may have after they marry? At that time in history (trying not to think with today’s knowledge and sensibilities), where would you have chosen to build your life if you were black? How does history validate or prove unfortunate the various choices these people made?

9.         Delia’s white father, Mr. Young, seemed fond of Delia. While Delia was growing up, why couldn’t he simply stop his white daughter’s cruel treatment of Delia? When they met again on the Charleston wharf, why do you think he gave money to Delia? He clearly blamed the North, Boston abolitionists in particular, for the war and destruction. How did Delia respond? Was this a step of growth for her? What would you have done?

10.       Delia had great pride in owning Miz Kate’s old, redesigned calico dress until she saw the fine clothing of northern black women. Once the old dress was washed and the color brightened, she again felt comfortable wearing it. How might this symbolize Delia’s transitions in life? When Ezra proposed, do you think it would have made a difference in Delia’s feelings about herself if she had still worn her new dress instead of her old one?

11.       It has been said that the Union won the Civil War on the battlefield, but the South won the war of ideology. Many hate groups still exist in the United States, especially in the South. Is our country still suffering the effects of the Civil War? If so, what do you think it will take to change that? What can Christians of all races do to help bring about change? Do blacks and other minorities where you live have the same rights as white Americans? Why or why not?

12.       Unlike today, in the mid-1800s American society as a whole had a high consciousness of God’s movement in the affairs of mankind. In the South, slave owners believed that God ordained slavery, with some slaves also accepting this belief as a part of their Christian faith. In the North, abolitionists believed slavery was a crime against God and humanity, even going so far as to be willing to kill slave owners to free slaves. How can two utterly opposing ideas both come from the same Bible-based faith?

 13.       The Civil War nearly destroyed the United States as a nation, yet gradually through other historic events (World War I, among others), we once again became united and grew into a great nation. What issues divide us today? What can Christians do? What can you do?