Harry Angstrom is often little more than a lost child in the novel. He constantly searches for a mentor, someone who can simply tell him the right way. Write an essay about three people Harry looks to for guidance. How do these people come into his life, and why does he look up to them? What advice do they give him? Does it help?

Part 1) Marty Tothero

Part 2) Jack Eccles

Part 3) Mr. Springer

Essay Topic 2

The novel is largely told from Harry Angstrom's point of view, and much of his time is spent contending with the women in his life. Write an essay on Harry's ambivalent attitude toward women in three parts:

Part 1) What does Janice Angstrom represent to her husband throughout the novel? Why are they continually at odds with each other? What does Harry actually like about his wife?

Part 2) On of the strangest and most dangerous relationships that Harry has is with Lucy Eccles What is so precarious about their interactions? What do they seem to want from each other, and what stands in the way of this?

Part 3) To what extend is Ruth Leonard a happy medium for Harry between his wife and someone like Lucy Eccles? Why is he so happy for the time he is with her? What destroys this happiness?

Essay Topic 3

If Harry Angstrom is a child in a man's body, Ruth Leonard becomes a woman very early in her life. She is the pragmatic center of the novel, a survivor. Write an essay about Ruth's objectives throughout the novel. Why does she decide to take Harry back to her apartment, and why does she let him stay? What in her past has prepared her for the worst this man can offer? What does she do when she realizes he has left her, and how does she react when he returns?

(see the answer keys)

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