90 pages • 3 hours read
Priscilla CummingsRed Kayak
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2004A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Memory and the past are central themes of The Red Kayak. How do they affect the structure of the novel?
Although Brady is narratingThe Red Kayak months after most of the major events, we do not learn the whole truth about what caused the accident until midway through the novel. How does Cummings use foreshadowing to hint at Brady's eventual discovery?
Class tension is at the heart of both Digger's sabotaging of the kayak and the disputes surrounding government regulation of crabbing. What do these parallel storylines allow Cummings to say about social class?
How do different characters in The Red Kayak use physical keepsakes as a way of dealing with the loss of a loved one? What is the relationship of these keepsakes to objects like the red kayak and the drill?
What types of narrative and symbolic functions does the Corsica River serve as in The Red Kayak?
How does Cummings use oxymorons to explore the friendship between Digger, J.T., and Brady? Why do you think she's chosen to use this particular motif?
The Red Kayak offers windows into the lives of four different families: the Parks, the DiAngelos, the Griswalds, and the Tylers. How are these families similar? How are they different?
Compare and contrast Digger and Brady's ultimate career goals. What does each boy's dream job say about him as a character?
Brady never actually explains why he didn't call out a warning on the morning of the accident. Are there any other moments in the novel when Brady seems to have difficulty describing his thoughts or actions at the time? What do these moments tell us about Brady and/or the novel's themes?
Coming-of-age stories like The Red Kayak often center on a major death or loss. Thinking about Cummings' novel in particular, why do you think this is a major issue for teens and preteens to grapple with?
