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.

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

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

1. Fire appears several times in Little Fires Everywhere, including in the title.

• What does fire symbolize in the novel? (topic sentence)
• In what scenes or parts of the novel is fire mentioned, and how do these specific references to fire support its symbolic meaning? Discuss at least 3 examples to support your ideas.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, connect this symbolic meaning to the novel’s title. 

2. Elena Richardson and Mia Warren exist in stark contrast to one another.

• How can you best summarize the difference in Elena’s and Mia’s characters? (topic sentence)
• What are 3 specific differences between the two characters, and how do these differences contribute to the plot?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, address how these differences lead to the argument in the climax of the novel and the fire that follows.

3. Pauline Hawthorne’s photography of Mia is what encourages Elena Richardson to dig into her past.

• What role does photography play in the novel on a symbolic level? (topic sentence)
• Give 3 examples of art pieces in the novel and use them to support your thoughts.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect the motif of photography to the theme of The Power of Art as Social Intervention.

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. Choose one of the mother-daughter relationships in the novel, and trace that relationship as it develops and changes throughout Little Fires Everywhere. How is the relationship viewed by the daughter? By the mother? By others outside of the family? Use examples from the text to support your ideas. Connect the relationship you chose to the theme of The Right to Motherhood. 

2. Elena Richardson believes that she is progressive, often remembering that she was present at the March on Washington. Her true beliefs about race and class, however, are revealed with the arrival of the Warrens and the Mirabelle/May Ling custody case. How do these events expose the racial tensions in Shaker Heights that have always existed? How does Mrs. Richardson’s development throughout the novel parallel or symbolize the greater conflicts in Shaker Heights? Include examples from the text in your discussion, and connect them to the theme of The Ramifications of White Liberalism.

3. Mia Warren is an artist, and the role of photography in her life permeates the novel. How does her art and her approach to art affect the lives around her? How are some unnerved by it and others moved? Discuss the ways in which Mia’s photography contributes to the theme of The Power of Art as Social Intervention. Use examples from the text to support your points.