Son

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Book 4: Begin”

In this activity, students will imagine an epilogue to Son that depicts Claire and Gabe’s reunion and explores how their relationship will develop beyond the pages of the novel. Students will use inferencing and analysis skills to connect to the novel’s main themes and messages to create an epilogue that is consistent with the text.

Despite the fact that Son is structured and driven by Claire’s search for Gabe, Lowry chooses to end the novel just before Gabe and Claire—newly returned to youth—reunite. In this activity, create your own version of their reunion and depict the beginning and evolution of their new life together.  

• Review the final chapter of the novel. As you re-read, analyze how Claire and Gabe are changed as a result of the events at the novel’s climax. How do you think these changes will impact them in the future?
• Consider both characters’ arcs and their motivations in the plot. Based on text evidence, how do you think they will react when they finally reunite with one another?
• Create your epilogue in one of the following creative writing forms:
• Diary or journal entry from Claire’s or Gabe’s perspective. Choose one of the characters and write the scene from their first-person perspective. How do they feel? What do they think when they reunited?
• Ballad. What components would a ballad (a song that tells a story) about Claire and Gabe’s reunion include? How would this event be described?
• News article. Describe the events from the perspective of a village journalist who is reporting on the story of the reunion between mother and son. You might include interviews and quotes from Claire and Gabe as part of the article.
• Short story. Using literary devices like imagery, dialogue, and description, write a short story with a distinct arc that tells the story of Gabe and Claire’s reunion and their life together afterwards.
• Dramatic scene or screenplay. With consideration to dialogue, blocking, and scenery, depict the scene as a dramatic scene or screenplay. How will you convey the characters’ emotions and thoughts through body language and dialogue?
• Poem. Depict Claire and Gabe’s reunion through a poem that utilizes a rhyme scheme, free verse, or blank verse. Choose either a first-, second-, or third-person perspective from which to write your poem. You might select either Claire or Gabe for a first-person perspective, address the poem directly to one of the characters, or describe it from an outside, third-person perspective.
• Comic/Graphic novel scene. Use art, visuals, and dialogue to depict the emotions and thoughts of the characters and tell the story of their reunion.

Present your final product to the class, summarizing the events.

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on their level and prior knowledge, students may benefit from reviewing strategies for inferencing and using textual evidence to support logical conclusions before beginning this activity. In addition, this activity may present an opportunity to review the different forms of creative writing and their elements and how authors use literary devices and other techniques to craft an effective story.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with organizational differences may benefit from further scaffolding and pre-work activities. Graphic organizers can aid in tracking textual evidence that may support their interpretation of the future of Claire and Gabe’s relationship, including important character traits. When planning their scene, students who benefit from strategies for transitioning from brainstorming to writing may find a plot chart or outline helpful.

For more advanced students, this activity may be extended into an exercise on style imitation. In addition to creating an epilogue consistent with the themes of the novel, students may also be tasked with analyzing Lowry’s style and imitating it in their own writing. These writers can look for patterns in the way that Lowry uses sentence structure, diction, and other devices and attempt to model it in their own writing.

“Claire's Memory Book”

In this activity, students will use text details to create a “memory book” that depicts important moments in Claire’s journey and reinforces the role of memory and knowledge in the novel.

Memory and knowledge are important parts of Claire’s journey in Book 2. After a lifetime of living in a community that restricted knowledge of the outside world through language control and enforced conformity, Claire finds herself overwhelmed by new experiences and rapid assimilation of new knowledge, all while struggling to remember her own history and identity. In this activity, create a “memory book” for Claire that documents her journey to acclimate to her new life, documenting the important knowledge she gains and the memories that are most important to her character arc in the novel.

• Analyze Claire’s arc in the novel, paying particular attention to her arc in Book 2. How does Claire grow and change as a result of her experiences in the seaside village? How can you represent that in your memory book?
• Select at least 5 components from the following list to include in your memory book. You may need to do additional research for some of the items to effectively re-create them.
• A geographical map of the seaside community where Claire lives
• Photos of places and scenery that are important to her, with explanations of why they are significant to Claire
• Journal entries from Claire wherein she reflects on her new experiences and the emotions that accompany lost and returning memories
• The new music and customs that she learns from the seaside village
• Information about the new animals she observes, including photos or drawings of each one
• A catalog of the herbs that Alys teaches her, with drawings of each
• A catalog of all the new colors Claire sees, with photos or drawings of things from her life that represent each color to her
• Photos of people who are important to Claire—include a caption describing the person in the photo and their relationship or significance to Claire
• Photos of moments that define Claire’s growth or propel her character arc
• Include at least 3 pieces of direct textual evidence in your memory book.
• Compile the 5 components of your memory book in a scrapbook, binder, folder, or other centralized, bound organizational container.

Display your memory book with those created by peers.

Teaching Suggestion: Reviewing examples of memory books together before beginning this activity may help clarify final product expectations. This beginner’s guide to creating a memory book offers suggestions for items one might include and how they might organize it, which may help inspire students’ planning of their own projects.  

To maximize the connection to theme, students may be required to write a short reflection explaining how their memory book depicts Claire’s journey with connections to the importance of memory and knowledge to her character development, and the contribution of memory to one or more major themes in the novel.

As a closure activity, students might participate in a memory book exchange or gallery walk to view each other’s work. To maximize their engagement, students might be required to write a short reflection on how their classmates captured Claire’s journey in their memory books.

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. Community plays an important role in each section of the novel.

• How does moving from one community to another affect Claire? (topic sentence)
• What are the values or beliefs of each community? How do the communities compare? Cite specific examples from the text to support your response.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize the main message conveyed through Claire’s arc.

2. While Books 1 and 2 are narrated from Claire’s third-person limited perspective, Book 3 is mostly narrated from Gabe’s.  

• What is the most likely reason Lowry chose to make this shift in perspective between Books 2 and 3? (topic sentence)
• How does the reader’s experience of the story change with the shift in perspective? How does Gabe’s perspective offer new insights into themes, events, or characters in the novel? How does Gabe’s journey juxtapose against Claire’s? Cite specific examples from the text to support your response.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the effectiveness of Lowry’s choice and how it reinforces or contributes to the development of one or more themes in the narrative.

3. The novel is split into three sections, each with a distinct title and setting.

• How does the title of each section establish expectations for what will happen during each Book? (topic sentence)
• How does each title correlate to the events within their respective Books? How do the titles work with one another to create unity and continuity between the disparate sections?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the novel’s structure in terms of the audience’s understanding of plot development.

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. Throughout the novel, love is a prominent driving force for many characters’ actions. What kinds of love are present in the novel? How do these different types of love drive Claire, Gabe, and Jonas? How do different communities view love and its purpose? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain how the novel appears to define “love” and explore the factors that affect love throughout the story. Support your answer by citing specific textual evidence. What does the novel ultimately posit about individual sacrifice and the role of love and community?  

2. Despite the fact that motherhood and the search for family drives the narrative, Lowry chooses to end the novel before the reader witnesses Claire and Gabe’s reunion. Do you think this choice ultimately helps or hurts the novel’s portrayal of themes about The Importance of History, The Prevalence of Loss, The Price of Sacrifice, and the power of love? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, discuss the potential reason(s) for choosing this ending and evaluate the effectiveness of this choice. Support your answer by citing specific textual evidence.

3. Claire’s identity as a mother is central to her character. What traits associated with the mother archetype does Claire embody? How do these traits and the strength of her maternal bond with Gabe drive her actions throughout the novel? How does this affect the plot trajectory of the novel? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain how Claire’s identity as a mother contributes to the rising action and resolution of the plot. Cite specific examples and direct evidence from the text to support your response.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. From whose third-person limited perspective does the author NOT write?

A) Claire’s

B) Jonas’s

C) Gabe’s

D) Trademaster’s

2. Which experience or setting in Book 1 most analogizes the complex feelings Claire feels following her birth?

A) Gabe’s failure to thrive at the Nurturing Center

B) Learning about the sea from the boat worker

C) Removing the dead fish eggs at the Hatchery

D) The changes that Nurturer’s son, Jonas, undergoes

3. Which of the following best describes how Claire’s community uses language?

A) To foster closer connections between its members

B) To create emotional distance from ideas that might upset conformity

C) To identify and describe experiences more precisely

D) To construct a complex hierarchical system that enforces class divisions

4. How are Claire during Book 1 and Gabe during Book 3 similar to one another?

A) Both characters subtly rebel against their totalitarian society by harboring secret feelings of love.

B) Both characters struggle with a sense of yearning and loss for the family that has been kept from them.

C) Both characters long to leave their homes behind to seek answers about their pasts.

D) Both characters face moral questions about what it means to use one’s gift for the greater good to defend their people from evil.

5. Which fantasy convention applies to the settings of both the seaside village in Book 2 and the village in Book 3?

A) Primitive technology

B) Magic and monsters

C) Fantastical settings

D) Reluctant heroes

6. How would the community from Book 1 respond to the lifestyle of the seaside village in Book 2?

A) It would scorn the seaside village’s dependency on an agrarian lifestyle.

B) It would celebrate the close bonds the residents of the seaside village share.

C) It would fear the livestock and other animals the village keeps.

D) It would object to the diversity of experiences that the seaside village represents.

7. Identify the correct sequence of events.

A) During Bryn’s birth, Claire recalls her own loss; Claire recalls a painful memory while making a scarecrow with Tall Andras; Claire decides to climb out.

B) Claire decides to climb out; during Bryn’s birth, Claire remembers her own loss; Claire recalls a painful memory while making a scarecrow with Tall Andras.

C) Claire recalls a painful memory while making a scarecrow with Tall Andras; during Bryn’s birth, Claire remembers her own loss; Claire decides to climb out.

D) Claire decides to climb out; Claire recalls a painful memory while making a scarecrow with Tall Andras; during Bryn’s birth, Claire remembers her own loss.

8. How does Claire change during her time in the seaside village?

A) She finds her true calling as an herbalist and midwife.

B) She falls in love and learns how to stand up for herself and others.

C) She gains new knowledge, experiences, and strength.

D) She overcomes her fear of the unknown to embrace new experiences.

9. Which of the following archetypes best describes Trademaster’s character?

A) Devil

B) Hero

C) Trickster

D) Mentor

10. Which theme does Claire’s deal with Trademaster most exemplify?

A) The Prevalence of Loss

B) The Battle for Control

C) The Importance of History

D) The Price of Sacrifice

11. Which best identifies the primary internal conflict and motivation that structures Gabe’s character arc during Book 3?

A) The longing for family and need to know his own history

B) The stagnation of his daily life and need for adventure

C) The fear of Trademaster’s control and need to confront him

D) The confusion over his special gift and need to discover his identity

12. Which event most directly catalyzes Gabe to confront Trademaster?

A) The breaking of his boat

B) The meeting with a dying Claire

C) The conversation with Mentor

D) The revelation of his history

13. What does Trademaster feed on?

A) Joy

B) Knowledge

C) Sacrifice

D) Suffering

14. Which of the following is the strongest symbol of the power of love and community?

A) The Product

B) The red cloth

C) The paddle

D) The river

15. Which quote best illustrates The Price of Sacrifice?

A) “In the end [Claire] decided it was enough that she had found [Gabe]. She would let him be. But she realized then the magnitude of the cruel exchange Trademaster had offered her.” (Chapter 5)

B) “[…] [Claire] turned away, feeling tears well in her eyes. What on earth was the matter with her? No one else seemed to feel this kind of passionate attachment to other humans.” (Chapter 14)

C) “[Claire] did weep when the next memory came back: of how he had grinned and wiggled his chubby fingers at her. He had learned by then to say her name. Claire, he had said in his high voice. And: Bye-bye.” (Chapter 5)

D) “It came to [Gabe] quickly and was so simple. Those who aren’t nourished will die. Those who starve will die.” (Chapter 13)

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does maternal loss and sacrifice drive the narrative’s events?

2. Explain how the novel’s climax demonstrates The Battle for Control and the power of love and community.