47 pages • 1 hour read
S.A. BodeenThe Raft
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Robie is a dynamic character who changes over the course of the book. In what ways does she change, and is it for the better?
Identify the scenes in which Robie is grappling with loneliness. Is this loneliness potentially an even greater threat than the threats of starvation and dehydration? If so, why?
How does Robie’s relationship to isolation change over the course of the story?
Did Robie do the right thing when she abandoned Max’s body? Should she have eaten Starbuck’s flesh? What acts are justified in the name of survival?
How does Robie end up with Max’s necklace?
What role do shock and paralysis play in the story, and are these traits the same as cowardice?
Identify the scenes that show a character helpless in the face of another character’s death. What is Bodeen illustrating via these situations?
In what ways does Bodeen comment on the ideas of luxury and deprivation?
Why does Robie personify the seals, and what does this literary device accomplish in the narrative?
How does Robie’s time on the raft change her perspective on society?
