4. How much money did Henry make a night for months by walking the dogs of the patrons of the Naked Arms, according to Matthew in "Survival of the Dunbar Boys"?

5. How tall was Carey's father?

Short Essay Questions

1. What illness did Penelope develop and how did it affect her?

2. Who is Claudia Kirkby and what is her importance in the novel?

3. What is the significance of the cigarette pack in the piano?

4. How did Tommy come to own Achilles?

5. What is the symbolic significance of the mattress at The Surrounds?

6. Who is Jimmy Hartnell and what role does he play in the novel?

7. How did the Dunbar boys feel about playing piano? Why?

8. Why is Henry beaten up when he arrives home after Clay's return in Part 5?

9. Why did Clay begin disappearing after Penelope's death? What did Matthew do about it?

10. How is Ted Novac described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of guilt, self-blame, and loss in Bridge of Clay. How are these themes developed through the novel's characters? Who struggles the most with guilt and self-blame? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Clay Dunbar in Bridge of Clay. What is Clay's main objective in the narrative? Does he achieve this objective? How does Clay grow as a character in the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Identify three examples of imagery in Bridge of Clay (simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, etc.). What is being described? How does each example serve the reader? What effects do these comparisons have?

(see the answer keys)

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