56 pages • 1 hour read
Paulette JilesNews of the World
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
In what way(s) does Captain Kidd's work as a newspaper reader affect both himself and those to whom he reads?
Why does Captain Kidd accept the difficult task of taking Johanna to her aunt and uncle, and what keeps him motivated while he is en route?
Why does Johanna identify most with her Kiowa family? What allows her to reintegrate into European-American society?
What characteristics bring Johanna and the Captain together? What is it about him that causes her to trust him?
What is it that most worries the Captain about what fate awaits Johanna, after she’s returned to her relatives? What has he heard about other returned captives?
Doris Dillon says that Johanna is “carried away on the flood of the world,” that she is “not real and not not-real,” that she “has been through two creations” (56). Is Doris correct in her description of Johanna's state?
In what ways does language function in the novel? Is any single language treated as being more important or better than another?
What different forms of law are portrayed in the novel? What does this tell the reader about Texas during this time period?
The adjective “American” is never used to describe someone in the novel. Why is this? What effect does this have on the identities of the characters?
What are the pros and cons of the news in the novel? How is news both something positive and negative for the communities the Captain passes through?
Related Titles
By Paulette Jiles
