At a few points early in the novel, Ora alludes to knowing a truth that she has kept secret. How is this hinting—but not revealing the secret outright—important to the novel’s conflict and plot?

How do notions of gender and gender roles affect female characters in the novel? In what way is the novel’s time period important here?

Blanche initially insists that no one must know that Grace was attacked or that Skipper Kornegay is the culprit. Ora goes along with the lie. How might Ora have handled the situation if Blanche had not been present in the novel? How might the outcome of the story have changed?