At its heart, Son is about motherhood and the power of love. How does Claire’s identity as a mother drive the events in the novel and develop and connect themes surrounding love and maternal sacrifice? Consider the following questions as you formulate your response:

• How does the birth of her son impact Claire?
• How does Claire’s attachment to her son separate her from other members of her community?
• How does Claire’s yearning for her son drive her actions throughout the novel and catalyze her character growth?
• How does Gabe’s yearning to know his mother and history similarly drive his actions during Book 3?
• How does Gabe’s love for Claire and Jonas strengthen him at the climax and enable his victory against Trademaster?
• What connections can you make between the role of motherhood and the novel’s themes of The Price of Sacrifice and The Prevalence of Loss?

Teaching Suggestion: These questions present an opportunity for students to connect their knowledge of representations of mothers in YA literature and Lowry’s use of archetypes. Students first might reflect on the ways that Claire subverts the conventional representation of mothers in YA literature while simultaneously conforming to aspects of the mother archetype.

Differentiation Suggestion: More advanced students and those interested in literary analysis may benefit from the opportunity to introduce and practice employing critical literary approaches and theories.