Mata Hari's Last Dance(73)

Even so many years after Mata Hari’s death, fact and fiction are still hard to separate. Much of her success can be attributed to her ability to fabricate—like her father, she was an extraordinary teller of tall tales. The stories she fed to the public were often aggrandized and the result is that the exact truth of her life is nearly impossible to prove. And as time has passed, her legend has only grown. Today, the fantasy of Mata Hari has more substance than the reality of Margaretha Zelle. I believe the girl from Leeuwarden would want it no other way.





TOUCHSTONE READING GROUP GUIDE




   Mata Hari's Last Dance



   Michelle Moran





In the glow of prewar Paris, Mata Hari seems to have everything: a successful career as an exotic dancer, scores of rich lovers, her own apartment, and the attention of the elite European art clique. But as a world war dawns, Europe begins to change—and so does life for Mata Hari. In the midst of this changing world, Mata Hari must learn to navigate growing tensions between rival superpowers Germany and France, as well as her own personal battle for her estranged daughter, Non. Despite all her efforts, Mata Hari fails to win back her daughter and her old way of life. In the end she finds herself poor, alone, and sentenced to death for a crime she swore she never committed. At once tragic and beautiful, Mata Hari’s Last Dance chronicles the line between fact and fiction, creation and destruction, and life and death.





For Discussion

1. Mata Hari’s Last Dance opens with a newspaper article detailing Mata Hari’s death by French firing squad—an article that claims she was not only guilty but “one of the most dangerous of the Kaiser’s agents in France and England”. Discuss how this article compares to the story that the character Mata Hari tells us. Is there any overlap? In general, why do you think the author chose to use so many newspaper articles throughout the novel? Do the articles give us a different perspective? How so?

2. Mata Hari describes her small, run-down apartment as a place where “the carpets stink of urine and mold” and the landlord is “a man who beats his wife”. Would you describe Mata Hari as a strong female character? Is she a feminist? Do you attribute her ability to lift herself out of poverty as an indication of her strength?

3. Discuss the relationship between Edouard Clunet and Mata Hari. Would you call their relationship odd? Unrequited? Problematic? Do you think the two are truly in love with each other? Why or why not?

4. The snake handler tells Mata Hari not to be afraid of the snake, but to “Treat her well . . . and she will never harm you”. Is the snake a symbol of the main character? Both Mata Hari and the snake are exotic, dangerous, and arguably misunderstood. In the end, do you believe Mata Hari is as harmless as the snake? Why or why not?

5. What do you think is Mata Hari’s goal? Does she want simply to be famous, or is it something more? Why do you think she seeks out the attention of Bowtie and the media?

6. The famous fashion designer tells Mata, “women like us prefer to forget we had a past. Too painful. We’d rather create”. Discuss Mata Hari’s creation. What kind of creation does she make when she dances? What kind of life does her art create? What kind of image? In the process of creation, does she also do as the epigraph to the novel suggests: “This is the dance I dance tonight. The dance of destruction as it leads to creation”?

7. Revisit the scene in which Mata Hari reveals the truth about her husband, daughter, and her deceased son (pages 93–94). Is this the first glance we get into the “real” Mata Hari? Did you believe she was removing the mask of her dancer persona in this scene? Why or why not?

8. Bowtie tells Mata Hari “you’re good for my career”. Discuss the ways in which the characters in the novel use one another. Are any of their relationships sincere, or are they all born from opportunity? Consider Bowtie, Mata Hari, Edouard, Mata Hari’s father, and Rudolph MacLeod in your response.

9. What is the symbolism of Mata Hari’s characterization of herself as “an orchid among buttercups”? Do you think she values herself for her distinct appearance, her distinct way of being in the world, or both?

10. Do you think death acts as a catalyst for change in the novel? How might the deaths of Mata Hari’s mother and son cause Mata Hari to transform herself into someone new?

11. Do you forgive Mata Hari for her decision to leave her daughter, Non? Do you think she tried everything in her power to get Non back? Is Mata Hari any different from her own father in the end? Why or why not?

12. How does the tension between the real and the fictional serve as a theme for the novel? You may wish to consider Mata Hari’s family, her job, and her accusation as a spy in your response. Do you agree that Mata Hari’s Last Dance presents the point of view that perhaps the “truth” is a composite of fact and fiction, as exemplified in the fact that Mata Hari is not from India but did live in Java?

13. What is Mata Hari’s “last dance”? Do you agree with her that she “danced [her] . . . own destruction”? In some ways, does Mata Hari’s death also create something new? Consider the role of women during her lifetime in your response. Does Mata Hari leave anything but tragedy as a legacy for her daughter?





A Conversation with Michelle Moran

Mata Hari’s Last Dance follows the theme of your other books in that a strong female from history is brought to life. How do you select these women from history for your novels? What inspires you about Mata Hari in particular, and female figures in general?