The Man In The Black Suit

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. “The Man in the Black Suit” enjoyed critical and commercial success and gained a reputation as a genuinely scary story.

• What is the main thing that makes this story so scary? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, offer close readings of the text that show how King uses various literary devices to achieve a tense atmosphere of fear.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reiterate your claim about why this story is frightening.

2. Gary’s world is very much influenced by bees, dogs, and fish. Identify how these creatures inform not just his worldview, but also his ability to fend for himself when confronted with evil.

• What is the role of animals (including insects) in this text? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, offer close readings of the text that show how specific animals function in the story and how they help develop Gary’s character.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reiterate your claim about the main role of animals and insects.

3. Of his mother, Gary recalls, “The bright light turned that little curl to filaments of gold and made me want to run to her and put my arms around her. In that instant I saw her as a woman, saw her as my father must have seen her.” Consider how this moment functions within the narrative.

• What is the significance of Gary’s observation that he saw his mother “as a woman”? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, evaluate why this narrative disruption takes place. How does it inform Gary’s coming-of-age? Has the meaning of this observation changed as he has aged?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reiterate your claim about the primary function of Gary’s observation regarding his mother.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. What is the relationship between Gary’s parents and faith? To what extent does this relationship evolve throughout the text, and to what extent does this relationship remain the same?

2. Consider Gary’s contemplation, “If I had accepted this as gift enough for one day and gone back, I would not be writing now (and this is going to turn out longer than I thought it would, I see that already), but I didn’t.” Does Gary regret this? Why?

3. How does Gary’s relationship with nature evolve throughout the text? What does nature mean to him, and what role does nature play in his understanding of himself?