The Face on the Milk Carton

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 below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Consider Janie’s Development of her Identity throughout the course of the novel.

• What are her main concerns at the beginning of the novel? (topic sentence)
• How do these concerns change throughout the novel?
• How does the discovery of the girl on the milk carton affect the Development of her Identity as a teenager?

2. Throughout the novel, Janie experiences an inner turmoil as she weighs the decision of contacting her biological family.

• What is Janie’s concern with contacting her biological family? (topic sentence)
• Find and share examples from the text where Janie expresses her concern.
• Does Janie come to a conclusion about What Constitutes a Family? If so, what is this conclusion?

3. As Janie processes her feelings of her true Identity, she begins to feel both Guilty and Responsible for what occurred in her past.

• Why does Janie feel both guilty and responsible for her kidnapping? (topic sentence)
• Find and share examples from the text in which she expresses these feelings.
• Does Janie ultimately reconcile these feelings of Guilt and Responsibility? Explain your response. 

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. Since this novel was published in 1990, the characters do not have modern technology like smartphones or social media accounts. Reflect on the role of technology in the novel. Which problems in the novel could be alleviated if the story was told in the present day? Provide examples from the text.

2. Compare and contrast the socioeconomic backgrounds of the Johnsons and Springs. What are some of the ways in which the author conveys the difference in socioeconomic backgrounds? Are these differences apparent to Janie? If so, how? If not, why do you think they aren’t obvious to her?

3. Throughout the novel, Janie experiences daydreams, nightmares, and “daymares.” Compare and contrast the moments in the novel when she receives these visions. What are these different visions about? How does the presence of these visions mirror her reality?