84 pages • 2 hours read
Ruta SepetysI Must Betray You
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022A 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
Sepetys chooses to tell the story of Cristian and his family from Cristian’s point of view. How does the choice of narrator shape the story? Choose two other key characters to discuss how the story would change if told from their perspectives.
The novel references real issues of Time magazine from November 1989. Read these or other news sources (often accessible online via the publication’s archives) to discern what picture they paint of Romania and other then-communist nations. Consider Cristian’s concern that Ceauşescu duped the United States into believing he was a magnanimous figure. Is there evidence of this in the articles you consulted?
By the novel’s Epilogue, readers have learned that both Cici and Cristian’s mother assisted the Securitate. Compare and contrast both women as characterized by Cristian throughout the novel. How do Cristian’s descriptions of them help the reader to understand their choices?
Examine the use of foreshadowing in the novel. How does it function in terms of key aspects of the narrative, such as plot and characterization?
Interspersed between the chapters are reports by the Securitate that reveal the conversations between agents and informers and convey the information obtained through surveillance. Why does Sepetys include these reports? How do they impact the narrative and the reader’s understanding of both Cristian and the communist regime?
Sepetys is known for examining historical events that have been forgotten or overlooked. What are the challenges and advantages of using historical material as the basis for fiction? What are the risks and rewards of telling these stories?
Cristian’s mother repeatedly denounces endeavors that are meaningful to Bunu and Cristian, such as philosophy and poetry. Indeed, these pursuits, along with many forms of art, made citizens targets of communist regimes. What evidence does the novel offer as to why the Romanian regime considered these pursuits dangerous?
Cristian must frequently weigh the dangers of opposing the regime against his belief in freedom. How does he view his responsibilities as a citizen? How does he balance the protection of self against the advancement of a group? Examine two or three decisions Cristian makes in the novel to determine how he answers this question.
Years after the revolution, Cristian reads the reports the Securitate kept on his family. He is shocked and dismayed by much of what he learns. How does his understanding of his family and Romania’s history change when he reads the report?
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By Ruta Sepetys
