102 pages • 3 hours read
Lois LowrySon
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Community is an important idea throughout all three sections of the novel. Compare how these sections address both the benefits and issues associated with community. How do these reflect or react against the common thematic element of individual sacrifice in the novel?
What do you think of the shift in perspective between Books 1 and 2 and Book 3? Why does the author choose to do this? Do you think it’s successful? Why or why not?
What do you make of the change in the sections’ settings? How are these settings similar to each other? How are they different?
Would you say that the gender roles evinced within the novel are strict or relatively fluid? Why? Explain your answer using textual evidence.
How is love addressed in the novel? Is it different and does it change, depending upon the setting? Explain your answer using evidence from the novel.
Have you ever sacrificed something, possibly to regain something you lost? What was it? Were you successful in your venture?
Imagine you are writing another chapter or even a sequel to this book. What would happen? Describe the major plot points of your narrative.
What roles do control and power play in the novel? Who would you say has control and/or power? Who does not? How does this affect the plot trajectory of the novel?
Each book section has a different name. Why do you think the author chose these names? How do they correlate to the plot and/or themes evident within the book sections? How do they relate to one another? Would you have named them something different? Why or why not?
Throughout the novel, Claire constantly exists as Other. How are her experiences as Other similar to and/or different from one another? Are they similar to any other characters’ experiences throughout the novel? Justify your answer with examples from the text.
Related Titles
By Lois Lowry
