How does love complicate the journey of the painting in the novel? How does the painting contribute to the complexity or conflict involved in the novel’s different love relationships? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: The novel explores the nuances of the theme The Different Facets of Love in relationships over time. Vreeland traces these facets throughout, centering each character’s struggle on the moment that they come into contact with the painting. The painting serves as a unifying force, as its beauty speaks to each character, making them reconsider love and life in some way. To approach this prompt with a comprehensive view of the novel, readers might create an 8-section chart or other graphic organizer (1 section per chapter) and list the love relationships evident in each chapter, remembering to account for familial love, love for friends, romantic love, love for self, and other types. Then, students can note or discuss the impact of the painting on each relationship, and the impact of each relationship on the painting’s path through history.

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Adding a Chapter to Girl in Hyacinth Blue”