52 pages • 1 hour read
Geraldine BrooksMarch
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
At the outset of Chapter 11, Mr. March states, “The brave man, the real hero, quakes with terror, sweats, feels his very bowels betray him, and in spite of this moves forward to do the act he dreads” (168). Is there any point in the novel when Mr. March achieves this definition of bravery? Explain your answer using examples from the text.
In Part 2, the narration switches to Marmee’s point of view. What does this perspective shift tell us about Mr. March’s reliability as a narrator?
Grace says that Mr. March does not love her, but “loves, perhaps, an idea of [her]: Africa, liberated” (242). In what ways does Mr. March seem to love Grace? In what ways does he seem to love this idea of Grace? In his mind, are they different?
In his letters to Marmee, Mr. March whitewashes his wartime experience. What compels him to paint incomplete portraits of the truth?
Canning twice risks his own life to save Mr. March’s. Why does he do this? By Mr. March’s stated standards, do Canning’s actions constitute bravery? Why, or why not?
When Beth falls ill, what are the reasons that Mr. March doesn’t return home? Use textual evidence to support your assertion.
What compels Mr. March to become vegetarian? Moral reasons? Financial reasons? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
What is the primary reason that Mr. March funds Brown’s projects? Is it more because he supports Brown’s ideology, or more because he wants his wife’s admiration? Use textual support.
As the story progresses, in what ways does Mr. March’s religious identity change?
In the closing scene, does it seem that Mr. March will forever carry his guilt? Why, or why not?
Related Titles
By Geraldine Brooks
