The Reivers | Short Essay Answer Key

Short Essay Answer Key

1. Summarize the novel.

The Reivers, set in the early 1900s in the South, centers on a group of individuals from Jefferson, Mississippi. Lucius Priest, an eleven-year-old boy, his family's retainer, Boon Hogganback, and Ned McCaslin, the family's black family member and hired help, travel to Memphis in Grandfather's stolen vehicle while Lucius' parents attend a funeral in the North.

2. What does Lucius learn during the novel?

Through the journey, Lucius learns of racism, sexism, jealousy, corruption, and betrayal. With his friend's guidance, however, Lucius also learns of morality, self-respect, dignity, and honor. The Reivers is a beautiful novel, cataloging four days in the life of a young, impressionable boy, through whose journey readers experience both the positive and the negative aspects of simply being alive.

3. What is the unspoken agreement between Father and John?

Lucius knows that the unspoken agreement between Father and...
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