Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. One of the novel’s central themes is The Hero’s Journey. What is the “Hero’s Journey,” and where have you encountered it in other stories? What themes do you associate with this literary technique?

Teaching Suggestion: This short answer prompt introduces the theme of The Hero’s Journey. The concept of the hero’s journey is an important one in the study of mythology, best known from the scholarship of Joseph Campbell. Consider discussing Campbell’s idea of the hero’s journey or “monomyth” (especially as outlined in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces) and the pattern that characterizes the hero’s journey in many cultures.

• This Crash Course video provides a short introduction to the idea of the hero and Campbell’s “monomyth.”
• This study guide from SuperSummary contains a detailed summary and analysis of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

2. The novel explores the interplay of Predestination Versus Free Will. What do these two concepts mean, and how do they conflict with one another? Can predestination and free will coexist? Why or why not?