The Day of the Locust Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. Explain the foreshadowing of the battle scene Tod witnesses at the beginning of the novel. What does it signify for him later in the story? Why does the author open the story this way?

2. Explain the circumstances surrounding Tod's move to California? From where had he come? Why did he make the move? What does he hope to do with his life?

3. Why does Tod view the people he sees as potential models or subjects of his paintings? What is the author telling the reader by Tod's...
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