7. In what ways was Sveva’s life like a fairy tale?
   – She had great joys and great sadness, she had great hurdles to overcome, and she accomplished great achievements.
   – She had a handsome prince as a father and a beautiful young woman as a mother.
   – She had a rich and privileged childhood.
   – When her father died, her life completely changed.
   – She was kept like a prisoner by her mother for 25 years (almost like her mother was a wicked step-mother).
   – She was penniless when her mother died and her life completely changed again. Sveva re-invented herself and became a teacher.
   – She had great artistic achievement and celebrity at the end of her life.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think Sveva referred to her mother as “a great moth self-caught in a bottle”?
   -- She was a prisoner in the Pleasant Valley Road house.
   -- It was not her choice to come to Canada or to Vernon. She was likely lonely and unhappy.
   -- She was “self-caught” because she could have chosen to learn English and mix in Vernon society. She didn’t take chances or make the best of a bad deal. She could see out (of the glass bottle) but she couldn’t get out or be free.
   -- Perhaps she could be thought of as a moth because she was delicate or fragile. Maybe she fluttered or was anxious in her exile.

2. Sveva said her mother compelled her to stay with her? How do you think this could have happened? Why do you think Sveva obeyed her mother’s wishes?
   – Her mother had a forceful personality.
   -- Sveva was used to being alone with her family, and she had little experience being independent.
   – Her mother was manipulative when she said she would die if Sveva left her. This scared Sveva. Ofelia used her heart ailment as an excuse.
   – Sveva felt dutiful toward her parent.
   – Sveva did not want to lose her mother’s love.