58 pages 1 hour read

Dennis Lehane

Shutter Island

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2003

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Essay Topics

1.

Teddy and Cawley offer two interpretations of the events that unfold around Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island. Teddy believes he is a U.S. Marshal who is trying to expose the truth about Ashecliffe Hospital. Cawley, on the other hand, believes Teddy is actually Andrew Laeddis, a delusional murderer who went insane after his wife killed his children. Which version of reality seems most likely? Explain. 

2.

Teddy and Cawley’s characters change significantly throughout the novel. By the end of Shutter Island, which man is the novel’s protagonist, if the novel has a protagonist at all? 

3.

How does violence, both past and present, shape the characters of Shutter Island? 

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