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65 pages 2 hours read

Freida McFadden

The Housemaid

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

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Essay Topics

1.

The Housemaid is a psychological thriller. Trace how McFadden effectively uses genre conventions to craft her story.

2.

Compare and contrast Millie and Nina’s characters. What are their similarities? Conversely, how do they act as foils to each other?

3.

Comment on the symbolism of the room in the attic. What themes does it bring to mind? How does it eventually serve as a setting for poetic justice within the story?

4.

Examine Enzo and Millie’s characters. What do they share in common, in the larger context of the story? Elaborate, keeping in mind the way that the book explores and presents social power and hierarchy.

5.

What do the white dresses symbolize throughout the story? How does Nina use them in her plan to replace herself with Millie?

6.

Trace the different hints and instances of foreshadowing throughout the book that point to the final revelation about Evelyn and Andrew. Cite examples from the text to support your answer.

7.

What are some common notions surrounding victimhood and abuse that the book addresses? How does the story subvert some of these notions?

8.

How do Millie’s glasses point to the book’s The Seen and the Unseen theme? Support your answer with examples from the text.

9.

Elaborate on how Andrew’s character exemplifies the book’s theme of The Interrelationships Among Discipline, Power, and Perfection. Support your answer with examples from the text.

10.

Comment on the author’s use of two unreliable narrators, Millie and Nina, and how this contributes to the pacing and suspense of the narrative.

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