Discussion Topics - Bullet Collection

Haunted by events her family is reluctant to discuss, Marianna recounts the fragmented, delicate story of growing up with her older sister in wartime Beirut. Marianna watches Alaine collect the detritus of war—bullets, grenades, shrapnel, a gas mask. These objects line Alaine’s shelves, a catalog of her retreat into a profound depression against which her family is powerless. For all their effort to endure the daily violence without, the war enters within, transforming their home into a place of danger and secrets.  Marianna becomes her older sister’s keeper, desperate to solve the mystery of her sorrow.  But once the family moves to America, Marianna finds herself dwelling in past and present at once, telling the stories that no one else seems to remember, and in this way seeks to join the threads of her two lives.

Questions for Discussion:

Marianna talks about her identity as a Lebanese citizen, with Armenian and American heritage, throughout the novel.  How does her identity as an American influence the way she is treated by her peers in Lebanon?  Why is her physical appearance a source of frustration to her?  How does her identity and appearance affect her relationships in America?

 
The landscapes of Lebanon and America are juxtaposed throughout the novel. On page five, Marianna wakes from her dreams of Lebanon: “I look down at my scratched, tan legs, feel the sun-heated road beneath my bare feet…but I am in this room again, this place.” Think about the first time the reader sees Alaine: she is digging in their American garden, planting bulbs; during the Israeli invasion, she digs in their Lebanese garden to bury weapons and food for the family. What other examples can you find of the sisters’ relationship to the two lands? In what ways do they differ?  Are they ever similar? How does the landscape reflect the family’s story?  How does the author create a landscape of the heart and mind?

 Why does Patricia Sarrafian Ward choose to tell the story from the viewpoint of a child?  Would it be as effective if told by an adult? How is responsibility and accountability for the war interpreted through the eyes of a child?

 Why does Alaine collect bullets, shrapnel, and other objects from the  war?  Why does she run away to such dangerous places?

 The Bullet Collection is divided into three seasons: autumn, summer, and winter. Consider why the author has chosen to do this.  What characteristics of the chapters relate to the respective seasons?  Why hasn’t spring been included as one of the sections?

 Discuss the relationship the family has with the American journalist. How does he portray the family in his story?  Do the children behave differently when he is filming?  What is the significance of his visit?

 The displacement Marianna feels in Americais captured in her perception of the street where they live: “Our street is a space between mirror and mirror, two worlds reflecting each other into infinity…He [Walter] is the only one watching, the only one who knows we exist. I do not know what he sees.” How does Walter come to know the family, and how does his presence illumine their difficulties? Why does Marianna wonder what he sees in his interactions with the family? What is the significance of her finally crossing the street to visit him? Compare the relationship the family has with their community in Lebanon with the relationship they have to the community in America.

 Throughout the novel, we see Alaine and Marianna living in emotional  opposition. When Alaine is depressed in Lebanon, Marianna is content; when Marianna is struggling in America, Alaine is content.  How do the sisters relate to each other during these times?  How do they fill different roles for their parents and for each other?

 Marianna often discusses the importance of remembering the war. In America she complains that everyone in her family has forgotten about Lebanon.  Why is remembering important to her?  Why is Alaine unable/unwilling to remember or talk about the war?

The author uses elements of fantasy throughout the novel, most noticeably in the form of Saisaban and more subtly in Marianna’s vanishing into other points of view.  Why do you think the author chose to bring fantasy into this work?