50 pages • 1 hour read
Marion Dane BauerOn My Honor
Fiction | Novella | Middle Grade | Published in 1986A 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.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaEssay Topics
If Tony had lived, would Joel and Tony have diverged on different paths in junior high? Would their friendship have remained just as strong? Give evidence from the novel to justify why you think their friendship would have developed that way.
How is nature depicted in this story? How do the author’s descriptions of the natural environment shape the reader’s perception of the events as they unfold?
What kind of growth does Joel experience as a result of Tony’s death? What does Joel learn about himself, and how might he behave differently in future scenarios?
What is the role of lies in this novel? How do Tony’s deceptions influence the course of events? How does Joel’s secret affect his relationships with others? What is the message the author conveys about the destructive effects of lying?
What is the narrative purpose of the teenagers who Joel runs into on the road? How do they contribute to, or detract from, his moral growth? What does this chance meeting reveal about the nature of honor?
Compare and contrast the Bates (Joel’s family) and the Zabrinskys (Tony’s family).
How does the author use language to add realism to this story? What specific details does she employ to create a distinctive sense of time and place?
How does the author inject a subtle spirituality into this story? What are the religious aspects of this story’s plot, characterization, and thematic elements?
How does Joel’s conception of honor evolve over the course of the story? How does his initial understanding of honor transform and deepen once he has behaved dishonorably?
Joel falls asleep uncertain after his father admits that he does not know if there is a heaven. Why did the author choose to leave Joel wondering about the nature of the afterlife? What does this bittersweet, ambiguous ending accomplish?
