45 pages • 1 hour read
Rachel JoyceMiss Benson's Beetle
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Margery undergoes the most radical character transformation of any character in the book. Describe how she changes and why.
In what ways does the golden beetle advance the plot? What does it symbolize?
What is the meaning of the word “vocation” in the context of the book? Describe Margery’s vocation as well as Enid’s. Do these conflict with each other?
Why do you think the author chose Miss Benson’s Beetle as the title for her novel rather than The Golden Beetle or The Golden Beetle of New Caledonia? What does the possessive indicate about the novel’s themes?
Margery, Enid, and Mundic are all haunted by the past. Compare and contrast how each character copes with their traumatic experiences; what does Joyce suggest about the nature of trauma over time?
What social commentary do you think Joyce offers regarding war veterans in her depiction of Mundic?
Discuss the ways in which Freya Bartlett’s development parallels Margery’s. What drives them both? How different are the 1950s from the 1980s, according to Joyce’s characterization?
How does Joyce portray gender expectations in the novel? Which characters participate in them? Which characters defy them?
Mrs. Pope might be considered a foil for Margery and Enid. Discuss how she differs from the two beetle hunters. What is her motivation for turning them in to the police?
Describe the evolution of Margery and Enid’s friendship. At what moment in the novel does their closeness become inevitable?
