Coming of Age Novels– Literary Analysis/Evaluation

Essay Options(5 Paragraph Essay)

OPTION 1: ANALYSIS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
HOW DOES THE PROTAGONIST DEVELOP AND GROW IN YOUR NOVEL? WHAT EVENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH?
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Twisted:Even before the book begins, Tyler has made some poor choices for understandable reasons; he desperately wants to matter…he wants his dad to pay attention to him. Unfortunately as the story develops, even though Tyler is a stand-up guy with good intentions, circumstances evolve and always undeservedly cast him in the role of “bad guy.”
Essay Prompt: The Tyler that we see is very different than the Tyler that the characters see. Understanding Tyler as a character is essential to understanding Tyler’s roller coaster experience. How is Tyler’s life a slow slip into suicidal thought, and how is that slip a result of the way he is treated by the people around him?
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Boy 21:Finley is a minimal speaker who has a tortured past; Russ lost his parents and now pretends to be a spaceman named Boy21. Both characters choose to respond to life in a way that pushes others away. They feel the need to hide behind their silence or their weirdness so they never have to speak of the past. Finley especially lives his life in a way that drowns out or ignores his past.
Essay Prompt:While both boys suffer in a similar way, this story is really Finley’s story. His qualities as a young man and his growth to become a dynamic character are the main focus of the novel. Finley in the beginning of the novel is very different that Finley at the end of the novel. But Russ (Boy21) is a key part of that. In what ways does Finley change and grow as a character? How does he slowly come out of his shell? What personality traits do you see changing as the conflict becomes more intense?
Regardless of the novel you’ve read, if you select this essay option your goal is the same: to analyze the development of a key character/s in your novel. How is the character able to change and grow? What events trigger this change and growth?
As you write your essay, be sure to use CHARACTERIZATION—specific examples from specific characters (their statements and actions) to help defend your thesis and support your points.

OR

OPTION 2: LITERARY ANALYSIS – THEMATIC ANALYSIS
HOW DOES YOUR NOVEL REFLECT PERSONAL CHOICES & CONSEQUENCES?
We’ve spent a lot of class time exploring and defining “PERSONAL CHOICES.” We’ve examined how our choices lead us somewhere; sometimes our choices result in predictable consequences, but so often, the consequences of our choices are unintended.
TWISTED
*We know from the outset that Tyler made some poor decisions his junior year; it is only as we get to know him that we come to understand the motivation. Due to the nature of his life and the lack of parental support, Tyler is constantly challenged to make the “right” choice. And even when he chooses the better path, life continues to present Tyler with obstacles. Tyler is certainly not a “bad” kid, even though his choices may not always be the wisest.
Consider the steps that Tyler both chooses to make, and is forced to make, to redeem himself; how much control does he have over his own life and the consequences of his choices? Tyler also experiences many consequences because of his choices. How do these choices and dark consequences impact Tyler? How is he able to finally start making the right choices to take back control of his life?
*Finley has chosen to build a “fake” world around him self; a world he really doesn’t have to be a key part of. He chooses to do what he is told and he chooses to ignore or shy away from conflict. Finley is lucky that he has Erin in his life, because she is the only one who can bring him out of his shell. We also learn, however, that much of Finley’s life is influenced by a past he has no control over. To complicate things even more, Boy21 is thrown into his life, again because of Finley’s own choices.
Consider the choices that Finley makes throughout the novel, especially in relation to Russ. Early on in the novel, how do we see Finley choosing to ignore life? How does he respond to the consequences of his indecision? After he meets Russ, Finley starts making choices that affect others, not just himself? What are these choices? How do they play out for Finley? As the story rushes to a conclusion, how is Finley finally able to make choices for himself instead of just for others?
Regardless of the novel you’ve read, your task in this essay option is the same: create a thesis that argues how and why your novel is a “personal choices and consequences” novel. Use specific text details to support your arguments.