Summer of the Mariposas

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 play over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Writers have a lot to do in the exposition of the novel: Introduce characters, get the story started, and set the stage for dramatic turns of events, all while keeping the reader engaged. McCall’s story format pulls from many storytelling traditions and cultural references that are either serious or often tragic, with not a lot of room for levity.

• How does McCall keep comedy and tragedy in balance in Part 1: “The Departure?” (topic sentence)
• Select details from the first six chapters that balance serious, tragic moments with funny, comic ones.
• In your final sentences, explain whether you think McCall’s writing is effective. Did the balance between dark and light-hearted events work for you as a reader? Did it make you want to read more? Why or why not?

2. Each chapter in Summer of the Mariposas opens with an image and a quote that relates to Lotería, a popular Mexican board game.

• How do chapter titles foreshadow or otherwise connect with each chapter’s events? (topic sentence)
• Select three to five chapter headings and explain how they connect to the chapter’s events.
• In your final sentences, tell whether you think McCall’s way of foreshadowing each chapter and section’s events make the novel’s writing more effective. As a reader, did it keep you engaged? Did you appreciate the effect of this author’s choice? Why or why not?

3. Butterflies function as a symbol of transformation throughout the novel.

• Choose one character from the novel and describe that character’s transformation. What techniques does the author use to illustrate the change? (topic sentence)
• Select details that describe what the character was like before the change. Briefly explain what prompted the character’s transformation and describe how they grew or changed.
• In your final sentences, explain how the character’s transformation connects to one of the novel’s major themes or motifs.

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. Tonantzin represents motherhood, divine love, and the Divine Feminine. La Llorona is a mother who, depending on who tells the story, has been disgraced. The Garza girls’ feelings about their mother changes over the course of the novel. Analyze the role of motherhood in Summer of the Mariposas.

2. Compare and contrast the Garza sisters’ journey to that of Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey.

3. Some might argue that Summer of the Mariposas takes the form of a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story in which a young person leaves home and gains maturity and wisdom from his or her experiences out in the world. The character's maturity usually results from their conflicts with society. How does the Garza girls' personal development align with or subvert the Bildungsroman format?