Analyze Lillian Meecham’s character and her role in the novel and in the family.

Mary Anne occupies a very different role from Ben in the Meecham family. Discuss her role in the family, and in particular, consider her role in Ben’s development and maturation.

The novel contrasts two distinct settings: the Marine air station and the landscape of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Explore how Conroy uses the natural world, particularly through Ben’s experiences with Toomer Smalls, to offer an alternative model of identity that directly challenges Bull Meecham’s militarized worldview.

Discuss how different forms of language, such as Bull’s military commands and gendered insults or Mary Anne’s sarcasm, are used to assert, challenge, or subvert power throughout The Great Santini.

Pat Conroy is celebrated for his lyrical, almost poetic prose. How does this elevated style function in the novel’s frequent depictions of brutality?

In classic tragedy, a hero’s downfall is often caused by a fatal flaw, or hamartia. To what extent can Bull Meecham be analyzed as a tragic hero?

Ben Meecham encounters several alternative models of manhood in the novel. How do these figures collectively construct a vision of masculinity that opposes Bull’s? Choose at least two of these characters to discuss how their influence both aids and complicates Ben’s struggle to forge an identity separate from his father.

Discuss the symbolism of Bull’s flight jacket. What does it mean when he gives it to Ben on his 18th birthday? How does the meaning of the jacket shift throughout the narrative?