A Slant of Light
Jeffrey Lent
The following questions are intended to enhance your discussion of A Slant of Light.
About this book
At the close of the Civil War, weary veteran Malcolm Hopeton returns to his home in western New York
State to find his wife and hired man missing and his farm in disrepair. A double murder ensues, the
repercussions of which ripple through a community with spiritual roots in the Second Great Awakening.
Hopeton has gone from the horrors of war to those far worse, and as he sits awaiting trial, those around
him struggle to make sense of his crime. Among them is Enoch Stone, the lawyer for the community,
whose spiritual dedication is subverted by his lust for power; August Swarthout, whose wife has left
earthly time and whose eye is set on eternity; and Harlan, Hopeton’s loyal farmhand, who fights to save
the life of his dear mentor while laboring to understand his own truth and purpose. As violence
reverberates, love deepens, and faithfulness is tested, the community of Lent’s pastoral Eden is shaken to
its religious, and moral, roots. Hopeton’s fate hangs in the balance as the cracks in America’s golden age
slowly widen.
For discussion
1. Malcolm and August’s storylines center on the tenuous and fulfilling relationship between farm owner
and hired man. How is the dynamic of August and Harlan’s working relationship similar to or different
from that of Malcolm and Amos? To what extent do Malcolm or August influence the disparate
personalities of their hired men? How do Malcolm and August view their responsibility towards their land
and employees?
2. August becomes temporarily catatonic after the death of his wife, Narcissa, and their stillborn twins.
But multiple times, he can’t help but feel that Harlan and Becca have been brought to him as part of a
“larger cycle,” bestowing upon him the illusion of fatherhood. He thinks, “For truly, hadn’t Becca and
Harlan Davis come home?” (306). Do you feel that Becca and Harlan share this sentimentality? August
claims that he does not consider Harlan and Becca substitutes for his lost children. Do you believe him?
3. Consider the themes of truth and religiosity. Malcolm lost his family to the manipulations of a dubious
preacher leading him to believe that “the Lord either was not such a thing or did not care. For all of his
life this formula amounted to the same thing. Trust to nothing but what you are able to make” (130). On
the other hand, August grew up steeped in religious principles, fulfilled and enlightened by the Friend.
How do these contradicting ideologies influence their approach toward life? Are these differences
irreconcilable? Or are they more similar than they think?
4. Malcolm and August are both childless; Malcolm and Bethany are infertile while August and Narcissa
experienced complications during birth, resulting in Narcissa’s death and the stillbirth of both children
she carried. How does childlessness influence the relationships between Malcolm and August and their
hired help? In your opinion, did it contribute to Malcolm’s gross misinterpretation of Amos’s character?
Did it accelerate the bond between August and Harlan?
5. Becca is a complex character. When August dictates tasks to her, she repeatedly retorts, “always just
the hired girl, then.” She is disappointed with August’s commands, and yet is incensed when he suggests
that she join his household. She is at once frustrated, content, and upset with August. In your opinion,
what are Becca’s conflicting desires? Why does she explode at the idea of residing with him if Harlan
does not return?
6. Much of the novel revolves around the nature of Bethany’s moral character. David, her father, and
Enoch Stone, the community preacher, are convinced that the devil has tainted her soul; they campaign to
expose the devilish behavior that they believe precipitated her murder. But Malcolm staunchly denies the
allegations and risks his life to clear her name. Even August doubts the gravity of her sins. How does this
moral struggle reflect the town’s views of female sexuality? Why is her supposed betrayal of Malcolm
more imprudent that Amos’s blatant disregard for the law? Considering her parents’ struggle and the
nature of her relationship with Malcolm, how would you describe Bethany’s troubled character?
7. Consider the unlikely romance between Alice Ann Labadee and Harlan. Why does Alice Ann pursue
Harlan? Why does he give in to her advances? Harlan recognizes the affair as a “gift,” but what does he
mean by that? Their affair is a union of Amos’s darkest secrets and most wounded victims. Does it bring
them closure or damage them even further?
8. When riding to town, Judge Gordon confides to Harlan that they are “witness to a changing world” and
that “those of your ilk will need a man such as Enoch Stone to stand as both guard and translator against
the press of such industry upon you” (246). Enoch Stone represents both the changing tides of religiosity
and the looming shift about to occur for the farming industry as America embraces the industrial
revolution. How does his personality reflect these changes? What about his character is so off-putting to
others?
9. Consider the complicated theme of justice. Malcolm’s willingness to be hanged for his crimes lies at
the center of Harlan’s distress. Malcolm sees only the result of his actions: two deaths by his hand; but
Harlan is staunchly convinced that Malcolm’s culpability is lessened by the utter depth of Amos’
wrongdoing. In your opinion, do the crimes Amos committed outweigh those committed by Malcolm? In
your opinion, how would justice be best served?
10. Throughout the novel, sexual awakening plays a significant role in the lives of young people:
Bethany’s father rejects her because she displays self-love, August and Narcissa bond for eternity at a
young age, Becca, while washing, is excited by her own body, and Harlan experiences his first sexual
encounter with Alice Ann. In each relationship, Lent explores a different aspect of budding sexuality.
Considering these events, what does Lent suggest about the nature of human sexuality? Is it moral or
immoral? Is sexuality, or lust, always sinful?
11. Peaches play a surprisingly powerful role in Malcolm’s life; the unlikely fruit led him into the arms of
both his worst enemy and his dearest love. Where else does this natural influence occur in the novel?
How does food play a vital role in the binding or breaking of relationships?
12. Towards the end of the novel, August experiences an intimate dream involving Becca, his hired girl.
How do these feelings complicate his paternal feelings towards her? Does this dream change the way you
view August? What does he mean when he thinks that he has “grown old so young?”
13. Discuss the image Lent presents of life in a rural farming community. How does the insular nature of
the pastoral lifestyle influence each character’s response to the murder of Amos and Bethany? How does
the community’s connection to nature influence their religious practices? In this period of time, the
bucolic existence is being threatened by the growth of industry. How has rural life changed in the United
States since then? Do any of the deeply pastoral aspects of A Slant of Light still exist today?
14. Explore the nature of Malcolm’s spirituality. He is convinced that Enoch and David campaigned
against Bethany with a madness, “twisted by fear, some version of God, of the Lord, that blinded him to
the most natural business of life” (338). He staunchly refuses their religious testimony, saying, “It’s
nothing to do with God, it’s what men do in the name of God, in their craze of wanting to be known and
loved by God” (341). Are there ways in which religiosity, despite its commitment to order and justice,
stands in the way of the “natural business of life”? What constitutes this “natural business” for Malcolm?
What does Malcolm mean when he says, “It’s nothing to do with God”?
15. Though Malcolm returns home safe from the war, his trauma haunts him throughout the novel. How
was he changed by his service? To the dismay of his loved ones, Malcolm decided to serve longer than he
had originally intended. But unknowingly, the wreckage he was experiencing in the front lines was being
mirrored by the tyrannical violence Amos wielded on the farm. Considering this parallel, what is the
author suggesting about the nature of evil?
17. Consider the many cliffhangers at the end of the novel. What verdict do you predict for Malcolm’s
trial? Will Harlan return to August? If not, will Becca continue to live under his roof, and what about his
newfound desires for her? Explain your inferences.
Recommended reading
A Peculiar Grace by Jeffrey Lent; Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver; The Round House by Louise
Erdrich; Kind of Kin by Rilla Askew; Gabriel’s Story by David Anthony Durham