The Burning Bridge

How does the character of Will evolve over the course of the story? What possible character arc does the novel’s ending set up for him? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

How is Halt’s relationship with Will depicted throughout the story? How does this intersect with or inform his relationship with Alyss, and what can be concluded about Halt’s role as both a fearsome warrior and a mentor?

How is dramatic irony used to characterize Evanlyn/Cassandra throughout the book? How does her hidden identity influence the way other characters treat her, and what does this reveal about broader themes of leadership and perception? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Using the conversation between Lady Pauline and Baron Arald in Chapter 6 as an example, examine how Flanagan creates humor in his writing. How does it impact characterization?

How does Flanagan’s world-building use and/or subvert existing cultural and geographical references? How does imagination intersect with reality, and to what effect? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Apart from Will, which other characters reach independence in the novel? Pick one or two examples and examine how their emotional journeys from inexperience to self-reliance are depicted.

How does the narrative use courage, or lack thereof, to depict a character’s morality? Pick one or two characters and use evidence from the text to support your answer.

How are the different mentor/apprentice dynamics depicted in the novel? How do those relationships impact Will, Horace, and Alyss’s journey toward adulthood? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.