Questions for Discussion

  1. There are many conflicts throughout The Empresario’s Wife. Which do you see as the major and minor tensions?
  2. How would you describe Sarah?
  3. How would you describe Green DeWitt? What drove him?
  4. Why do you think Sarah wanted a land grant from Mexico in her own name?
  5. Sarah and her children created the Come and Take It flag, the first declaration of Texas’s independence from Mexico. Why do you think that flag is still remembered today?
  6. Have you seen modern references to the Come and Take It flag? Do they reflect its original purpose?
  7. How would you describe Will’s role in the story?
  8. What in Sarah’s character shapes how she related to Will?
  9. Does Sarah’s history with Will threaten her marriage to Green? Why? Why not?
  10. There is a diverse cast of characters in Sarah’s world. Which character(s) did you like best?
  11. How do Eugenio and Antoñia play indispensable roles in Sarah’s life and throughout the book?
  12. How do Eugenio and Antoñia navigate the opportunities and dangers of the Anglo world?
  13. Why is Belle’s role central to understanding life in Gonzales, the capital of DeWitt’s colony?
  14. What other characters help to paint a picture of survival in early Texas?
  15. What did you learn about Texas and American history that you didn’t know?
  16. Geography plays a large role in the novel. How are the land and the environment central to Sarah’s struggles?
  17. How would you describe Sarah’s legacy in Texas and American history?
  18. Sarah Seely DeWitt is the narrator of the book. At the beginning of Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4, Sarah reflects on her past. How did those brief overviews affect your view of her story?
  19. How did the Texas Revolution lead to US expansion and the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny?
  20. Did this story of a great-grandmother’s legacy make you reflect on your own ancestry and your relationship to your family’s history?