50 pages • 1 hour read
Katherena VermetteThe Break
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A 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
Choose one character; what do the dreams mean for this character, and how do their dreams characterize them?
What is the importance of setting in the novel? How does the landscape of the bush compare to the city of Winnipeg?
Why is Tommy important to the novel? Why does vermette choose to present the perspective of one man?
Explore vermette’s representation of addiction in the text. How does it relate to the theme of the novel?
Explore how gender functions in the text. How do gendered prejudices intersect with racist ideology?
How does vermette incorporate Indigenous beliefs and spiritualism in the text?
Consider the motif of “the Break.” Why is it important that Stella named it this, and what is the effect of vermette using this term as the novel’s title?
What role does community play in the novel?
Most of the significant relationships in the novel are between women. Discuss the significance of the relationship between Tommy and Christie.
Analyze the significance of the narration shift from first-person to third-person omniscient.
