Essay Topics
1. Write an additional conversation between characters.
2. Rewrite the end of Kelton's novel.
3. Select a character (perhaps your most favorite or least favorite) and write an essay about him or her.
4. Write an essay about one of the novel's themes.
5. Write about what you think is Kelton's purpose for his novel.
6. Select one of the novel's settings and describe it with sensory images you experienced in reading about it.
7. Study nouns, verbs or adjectives to see how Kelton uses them to tell his story.
8. Put yourself in the drouth of the 1950s and write about your experience.
9. Select a quotation that you feel summarizes the book's purpose and write an essay about it.
10. Could this novel been written by anyone other than a native West Texan?
