The White Deer | Essay & Project Ideas

The White Deer Ideas for Reports and Papers

1. James Thurber drew his own illustrations for this story. Choose a few that interest you and discuss how they contribute to your enjoyment and understanding of the story.

2. In the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Peter Scholl says this of Thurber's fairy tales: "Thurber's questing heroes manage to break the withering forces of evil and restore order, meaning, and purpose to the world." Is this statement true of The White Deer?

What are the forces of evil in this story?

How are they broken? How would you describe the order that is restored?

3. E. B. White described The White Deer as "exhibit A in the strange case of a writer's switch from eye work to ear work." White refers to Thurber's having become blind before he wrote this tale.

Choose and discuss one or more examples that show...
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