Study Questions and Suggested Essay Topics
Study Questions
Describe how True Son's character changes, if at all, by the end of the novel. What do you feel causes these changes?
How does the Indian idea of freedom as presented to us in the book compare to the white belief in civilization. Does the author seem to favor one way of life over the other?
Discuss how Richter manipulates language and point-of-view throughout the book. How does this affect the perspective we have of True Son's story and/or frontier life?
Suggested Essay Topics
What do you think is the purpose of Parson Elder's role within this book. Why is he an important character even though he appears in only one chapter?
Compare True Son's character to that of Del Hardy. In what ways are their characters opposite from each other? Compare True Son's character to that of Uncle Wilse. How are they alike or different?
How is racism displayed by whites and Indians in this novel? What does this suggest about the frontier life of the eighteenth century?
Is True Son betrayed by his family or families? How is he betrayed?
Who is True Son's real father, or does he even have a real father?
