I Survived The Great Molasses Flood, 1919

Questions Just for Fun

Have you ever tried molasses? If not, here is a fun molasses gingerbread recipe you can try!

If you were Carmen, which do you think would cheer you up more, catching drips of molasses from the tank or taking a ride on Rosie?

Questions to Think Critically and Biblically

In the book, Carmen faces many tragedies–the earthquake and flood, her mother’s death, leaving her home and grandmother, her father’s death, and the molasses flood. According to the biblical worldview, why do bad things like this happen?
Discussion Guide - Read through the blog series Mommy, Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen, with your child and discuss the concepts covered.

When we look at the evil we find in our world, it usually falls into one of two categories: 1) natural evil – the evil caused from living in a fallen world such as tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. or 2) human evil – the evil caused directly by sinful human actions such as stealing, murdering, etc. (Sometimes it can be a combination of the two, such as when a human purposefully starts a forest fire.) Think about the different tragedies that Carmen experienced. Which were the result of natural evil, and which were the result of human evil?
Discussion Guide - Discuss how the earthquake, the flood, her mother’s death from the flood, and her father’s death from the Spanish Flu were all results of natural evil. The injuries she received from the molasses flood were the result of human evil because the company that owned the tank failed to test it properly and ignored warnings that it was not containing the molasses in a safe way. (World War I, which was mentioned several times in the book, is also an example of human evil.)

In the book, Carmen thinks that in America she can become whatever she wants to be. This is only partly true. While she may be able to choose from many different careers, there are things that are outside of her nature that she could never be. For example, she could never become a dad, a frog, or the first President of the United States (George Washington lived over 100 years before Carmen). Make a list of jobs that Carmen could have and things that she could never become because they are outside of her nature.
Discussion Guide - Help your child brainstorm both lists. Sample lists are below.

Jobs Carmen Could Have

• Author
• Horse Groomer
• Teacher
• Doctor
• Wife
• Mother

Things Carmen Could Not Become

• Husband
• Father
• Horse
• Dog
• British
• Japanese

One of the reasons Carmen doesn’t want to go back to Italy is that she wants to become more than just a wife and mother. According to the biblical worldview, is it okay and even good if a girl dreams of becoming a wife and mother?
Discussion Guide - Read Genesis 1:27-28, Proverbs 31:10-31, and Ephesians 2:10. Discuss how God designed men and women for marriage, family, and subduing the earth. It is a good thing for girls to desire to become wives and mothers. And it is a good thing for boys to desire to become husbands and fathers. They can also dream of having other jobs, but they should recognize that whatever they do should be done for God’s glory, as it is a good work that God prepared beforehand for them.