Alabama Moon

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text throughout your response that serves as examples and support.

1. Moon possesses few material items and, throughout his misadventures, loses everything by the time he goes home with Hal.

• What is the symbolism of Moon’s possessions in relation to his character? (topic sentence)
• Describe when Moon shows care for his possessions. Which of Moon’s possessions represents his upbringing, and which demonstrates his will and stubbornness?
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Moon’s perspective on his possessions changes after he acquires his new-found empathy.

2. Constable Sanders is a notable shadow archetype to Moon; he is cruel, bitter, unsympathetic, and vengeful.

• Which characters or entities, other than Constable Sanders, serve as antagonistic forces in the story? (topic sentence)
• Describe the characters that serve as opposing forces to Moon. Then describe the entities and organizations that work against what is best for Moon.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you believe people and systems with good intentions do a disservice to people like Moon, who may be an exception to the norm.

3. Moon watches TV at Mr. Wellington’s after having “only seen television a few times” on his brief, infrequent trips to the general store.

• What impact do news media and television have on Moon and his journey? (topic sentence)
• Describe the impact of media on Moon’s journey, his relationships, and how people in the community perceive him.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why it is ironic that television impacts Moon’s journey.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Moon uses few details when he speaks, but his interior monologue offers sensory imagery and figurative language to help the reader envision his surroundings. Select three passages that include Moon’s internal dialogue. What does Moon describe in the passages you chose? What is Moon’s attitude toward his description? Identify the figurative language used in each passage and how it makes his attitude evident to you.

2. The novel is linear except for a lengthy backstory retelling the last year of Pap’s life, which includes the discovery of the hunting lodge and Pap’s accident. What impressions do you form about Pap? What are Pap’s character traits? What is unique about the way Pap perceives the world? What does Pap believe about the government, medicine, and how people should live? Does Pap have a reason to distrust society? How do Moon’s impressions of Pap’s beliefs and lifestyle choices change in the novel?  

3. The novel takes place in 1980. Consider the cultural, technological, and historical implications of setting the novel in a different decade. Would the plot of Alabama Moon apply to modern culture? What kinds of experiences would Moon have if he were to enter society today that he may not have had in the 1980s? Would the plot of Alabama Moon work as well if it were to take place earlier in the 1900s? What differences might Moon see in that time setting? How does the novel’s theme of “Freedom” Versus Friendship apply to all time periods?