About a Boy

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English language learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Fiona is a single parent who experiences depression, loneliness, and feelings of wishing she was not a mother.

• How does Fiona embody the challenges of single motherhood? (topic sentence)
• Discuss three of Fiona’s character traits, the actions that indicate these traits, and how each relates to her situation as a single parent.
• In the conclusion of your essay, examine whether Fiona’s issues are helped or hindered by Will’s presence.

2. Will undergoes a significant personal transformation from the beginning to the end of the novel.

• How does Will change throughout the novel, both as a person and in terms of his worldview? (topic sentence)
• Detail the most important events and changes that Will experiences using textual evidence to support your reasoning.
• In the conclusion of your essay, summarize how Will’s transformation relates to the theme of Conformity and Masculinity.

3. About a Boy takes place in early 1990s London.

• In what ways are the novel’s characters products of their time, and in what ways do they rebel against it? (topic sentence)
• In support of your topic sentence, detail the traits and experiences of at least two major characters and how these characters relate to the time in which they live. Include examples from the text to support your response.
• In your conclusion, evaluate whether About a Boy is still relevant and explain why or why not.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The novel’s title, About a Boy, has a double meaning to describe the story of its two protagonists, Marcus and Will. Explore the literal and figurative meanings of the novel’s title and how it applies to each protagonist. Be sure to detail each character’s arc throughout the course of the novel and include textual evidence to support your reasoning.

2. Suicide is a motif woven throughout the novel and impacts two of its major characters, Fiona and Ellie. Why does Nick Hornby choose to make suicide a prominent focus of his novel? To what extent does suicide affect the views and choices of both Marcus and Will, propelling them toward one another and toward change? Be sure to include quotations in your essay of at least three body paragraphs.

3. About a Boy explores the ways in which Boredom can lead a person to Manufacture Pain in their own life. Why do characters like Will and Ellie seem to thrive off the drama and pain of others? How does their own personal dissatisfaction lead them to seek out problems? Evaluate the success of this strategy. Include quotations and other textual support.