Shuggie Bain Lesson Plan

Why does Shug need to completely “break” Agnes when he finally leaves her? Why is it important to him that she be prevented from being fully alive and happy?

This question offers an opportunity for students to go deeper in their exploration of gender roles in the novel. They might begin by analyzing Shug’s cruel reasoning in depth, perhaps focusing on the passage at the end of Chapter 8 where he thinks about the possibility of Agnes entering into a relationship with another man (“Agnes Bain was too rare a thing to let someone else love. It wouldn’t do to leave pieces of her for another man to collect and repair later”). They might also consider the juxtaposition of Shug...