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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say Rudy is aware of as Francis approaches Gerald’s grave?

2. Where does Helen sleep?

3. What are Francis’ feelings about the house he was born in?

4. What metaphor does Francis use to describe himself as a ball player?

5. Who was the first man Francis Phelan killed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What expression does Francis use when something is finally and absolutely concluded?

2. What effect is created by the author’s sophisticated vocabulary?

3. What is the message of the song Helen sings to Francis?

4. How did Francis end up killing Harold Allen?

5. How is Francis feeling at the beginning of the novel?

6. What misfortune besets Helen after she returns to the Mission with Francis and Rudy?

7. Describe the brotherhood Francis and Rudy share.

8. Describe the environment of the Gilded Cage.

9. How does the narrator describe Gerald’s body in the grave?

10. What is the importance of Halloween in the book’s setting?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an evaluative review of Ironweed. What is this book’s place in culture? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

Essay Topic 2

Is Francis a hero or an anti-hero? Where does Francis fit in the continuum of other characters in literature? Compare and contrast Francis’ character with two other main characters in American literature.

Essay Topic 3

What is the role of the city of Albany in Ironweed? Is it an essentially American place that symbolizes the American experience, or is it a personal place whose significance is limited to the author and the particular characters he created?

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