2. In the beginning of the story, right before the maiden aunt is bitten by the prawn, she has an amazing experience in the river: "she had a soft feeling of melting snow in the marrow of her bones . . . and she suddenly thought that her hair had poured out to sea at last." What happens to the aunt here? How does the aunt change after she is bitten by the prawn? How are male/female relationships portrayed in this story? What do the prawns symbolize? How might they be related to eyes? Is the aunt's being bitten by the prawn a bad thing? We find out halfway through the story that the doctor could have removed the prawn from the aunt's leg in the beginning, when he tells his son that the prawn has been paying for his education for twenty years. What is the connection between the prawns and money?
3. Why does the aunt fill the wedding dolls with honey? What other sweet things turn up in the story? Why might the doll be warm when the youngest holds it to her on her wedding day? What do the dolls symbolize in the story? How are the various symbols in this story gender-coded?
4. Does the youngest niece turn into the doll at the end of the story, or does she leave the doll in her place? Or does it matter? This doll was very special. It not only contained the youngest niece's full set of baby teeth but also had the aunt's diamond teardrops embedded in its eyes. What was this magical doll meant to be or do?