We finished up last week with two more great discussions on Thursday and Friday.  Here are some highlights:

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• John is two different characters - almost a split personality
• John became a lot like his stepfather
• John makes a clear distinction between love and sex
• Discussion about hoodoo - does Hurston actually believe in its power?  Most readers Friday believe she does.
• Lucy knew that she loved John too much - told Isis: "Don't love anybody as much as you love yourself."
• Lucy is powerful!
• Metaphor of crabs in a pot pulling one another down - a reader Friday shared an Australian expression: tall poppy syndrome - if you get too tall, you'll get mowed down - speaks to possible universality of people within a group keeping one another down
• Some Friday readers found story archetypal - classic good and evil struggle
• Hurston's style of briefly summarizing long historical periods is like the literary version of a slide show
• John's final sermon, according to notes on p. 1038, was based on an actual sermon by C.C. Lovelace
• Sally's sending John back to Eatonville - a symbol of God testing John
• Hurston has really caught the authentic voice - it's important to hear the dialogue
• Glossary is not complete enough
• Hurston is also skilled at capturing sound effects
• Some readers were intrigued by John and others playing hide and seek at an older age
• Trains are important to Hurston - her autobiography is Dust Tracks on a Road