The Magician's Assistant

Sabine is a loving caretaker to both Phan and Parsifal throughout their illnesses. Her characterization as a nurturer parallels the characterizations of the other women in the novel. Analyze at least two other female characters and compare them with Sabine, using key details from the text to support your views.

What is the metaphorical importance of Sabine’s intense dreams about Phan and, later, about Parsifal? What gets resolved, and what remains unresolved in these dreams?

How does Sabine’s job as an architectural model maker parallel her role as a magician’s assistant? Why is Sabine satisfied in the role of a support system?

Analyze how Patchett uses key figurative language to create deeply visceral and contrasting depictions of Los Angeles and Nebraska as both physical settings and metaphors for the characters’ lives.

What aspects of the text indicate that Kitty and Sabine might develop a romantic relationship? What aspects of the text suggest the difficulties involved in such a connection? Analyze the wording of three to four specific passages to support your response.

How does Patchett use stage magic as a motif for deception? What roles does deception play throughout the novel?

How does getting to know the Fetters help to resolve Sabine’s internal conflicts? What does this period of mutual exploration reveal about the novel’s message regarding The Importance of Family?

Why does Parsifal lie to Sabine about his family? How does the revelation of his decades-long deception shift Sabine’s view of her marriage?