58 pages • 1 hour read
Tracy SierraNightwatching
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A 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
How does the author’s inclusion of New England history, particularly the history of the farmhouse, add complexity and mystery to the story? Analyze key scenes to determine how the physical environment interacts with both the external circumstances and the mother’s mental health.
Analyze the author’s decision to reference the COVID-19 pandemic. How do the effects of the pandemic lockdown intensify the story's themes of isolation and anxiety?
How does the mother's character reflect the recurring themes of sacrifice and resilience? Provide specific examples from the text to support your interpretation.
Analyze the significance of memory and its role in shaping the mother’s decisions. How do past events influence her ability to rationalize and think clearly?
Discuss the theme of toxic masculinity as it is portrayed in the story. Consider the husband’s treatment of the mother and the father-in-law’s negative influence on his son and grandson.
Analyze the novel’s exploration of justice. Consider what the mother learned about the justice system during her mother’s murderer’s trial. Does she believe that justice is served by paralyzing the Corner rather than killing him? How does the narrative address the justice due to her for the police’s mishandling of her case?
Critically examine the theme of power and control in the story. How do different characters seek power or control over their lives, their environments, and other people? Give specific examples from the text in which people wield power for well-intentioned and malicious reasons.
How does the novel address the concept of mortality and the afterlife? What philosophical or existential questions are raised through the conversations about death, ghosts, and religion?
What commentary does the novel offer on the nature of trauma and healing, particularly as these concepts relate to mental health? What does the novel suggest about the stigma of mental health conditions and the often misogynistic responses to addressing and treating female mental health concerns?
