The Troop

How does the author use similes, metaphors, personification, and other figurative language to complicate the distinction between humans, animals, and/or monsters? What does the blurring of these lines say about the nature of children and adults in the novel?

How does Shelley’s general treatment of humans and animals, as well as his view of the parasitic worms as his “babies,” complicate the distinction between humans, animals, and/or monsters? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

How does the author’s use of an omniscient third-person narrator complicate the distinction between adults and children? In this context, consider why the author may have chosen to use an omniscient narrator versus a first-person narrator. Use details from the novel to support your ideas.