The Book of Ruth

What role does religion play in The Book of Ruth? Is Ruth more aptly characterized as religious or spiritual? How does Ruth’s relationship to religion and/or spirituality change throughout the course of the novel?

How does the relationship between Ruth and Ruby develop throughout the novel? How do each of their individual behaviors contribute to this development? In what ways do they each enable the characteristics and behaviors of the other?

The Book of Ruth is told in the first person, narrated by Ruth herself. Can Ruth be considered a reliable narrator? In what way(s) is Ruth reliable or unreliable? Does her narrative style change throughout the course of the novel?

Compare and contrast Ruth Grey with Daisy Foote. Can either be categorically considered “good” or “bad” characters, or are they both characterized as more complex females? Do they influence one another? If so, in what ways?

The Book of Ruth is also a brief but famous story from the Old Testament. Is there a significance to this title? If so, how is the Biblical story of Ruth similar to that of Ruth Grey?

Aunt Sid is a strong, powerful female figure in the novel, and a consistent mentor to Ruth. Aunt Sid has an independent lifestyle and a strong worldview. How does Aunt Sid’s worldview accord with or diverge from Ruth’s own lifestyle?

Literature, and even specific literary characters, recur often in Ruth’s narration. Ruth declares that Esther Summerson (from Dickens’s Bleak House) is her favorite character. What is the significance of this choice? What does it tell us about Ruth’s own values?

The Book of Ruth is the debut novel of Jane Hamilton. How does Hamilton show herself either to affirm or protest traditional gender roles within her first novel, and one which features a female protagonist and first-person narrator?