Quicksand provides some background as to Helga’s relationships with other women, such as her mother, Anne Gray, and the members of Pleasant Green’s Alabama congregation. Are there any common traits that Helga exhibits in these diverse relationships? If so, what are they?

Helga follows a careful pattern of behavior when she is about to withdraw from a relationship. Cite any instance in which she does so over the course of the novel, and specify which steps she takes as she approaches her departure.

Helga has a theoretical interest in the well-being of children, such as the Naxos students. What is the nature of the bond she creates with her biological children after her marriage to Pleasant Green?