101 pages • 3 hours read
Lauren WolkA 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.
How do Ellie and her family adjust to life on the mountain? What challenges do they face, both in living in nature and in living with each other? Compare and contrast Ellie’s openness to a life there with her sister’s and mother’s reluctance to make the mountain their home.
The Duality in All Things appears throughout the novel as a central theme. Identify two or three dualities in the text and explain what they reveal about the novel’s character.
What does Ellie’s story say about the importance of Persistence in the Face of Great Obstacles? What is Ellie’s source of the strength that allows her to persevere?
What does Ellie mean when she refers to herself as an “echo-girl”? How does this trait cause conflict for Ellie, both inwardly and outwardly?
How does the mandolin function as a multi-layered symbol in the novel, and how does it serve to tie together the dualistic world that Ellie and the other characters live in?
Why did the author choose to have the novel take place during the Great Depression? How does this historical era serve as a plot device and characterization tool?
How do the lives of the dogs in the novel compare and contrast with the lives of the humans?
What forms of healing occur in the novel, and how do the characters help each other to heal in these ways?
Why does the novel take place on a mountain? How does the mountain itself imitate the progression of the story and reflect its themes?
By Lauren Wolk