Candlewick Press Discussion Guide

The THIRD book in The Chaos Walking SERIES

What a sad thing men are. Cant do nothing good withoutbeingsoweakwemessitup.Cantbuildsomethingwithouttearingitdown.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Monsters of Men, the final installment of the Chaos Walking trilogy,ahorrificwarsurgesaroundToddandViola,anditforces them to face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murderedpeople.TheruthlesshumanleadersoftheAskandof theAnswerpreparetodefendtheirfactionsatallcostsasaconvoy ofnewsettlersapproaches.Asisoftentrueinwar,theprojected willofthefewthreatenstooverwhelmthedesperatedesireofthe many. The consequences of each action are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most, or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption, orassumeitislost?Becomingadultsamidtheturmoil,Toddand Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outragetowardashockingfinale.AsRobertDunbarwritesinThe Irish Times, Monsters of Men triumphantly concludes what will almostcertainlycometobeseenasoneoftheoutstandingliterary achievementsofthepresentcentury.
HC: 978-0-7636-4751-3 PB: 978-0-7636-5665-2 E-book: 978-0-7636-5211-1

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. ublishers WeeklycalledMonsters of Menoneofthe P mostimportantworksofyoungadultsciencefiction in recent years. Michael Cart, an editorialist for Booklist magazine, named Monsters of Men his top youngadultbookfor2010,anditwasalsohispick for the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in YoungAdultLiterature.Inaddition,Monsters of Men receivedseveralstarredreviews.Asyoubeginreading the final installment in the Chaos Walking trilogy, lookforevidencethatthebookisdeservingofthese accolades.Discusswhatqualitiesmakethisbookan award-winningbook. 2. n the opening line of Monsters of Men, Mayor I Prentisssays,War....AtLast.Manyhavecalled the book a war story. In The Knife of Never Letting

w w w.candlewick.com

08/11

Go and The Ask and the Answer, Todds caretaker, Ben, tells him that War makes monsters of men. Monsters of Menclearlydemonstratestheuglinessof war.Whichcharactersinthisfinalbookofthetrilogy could be considered monsters who do monstrous things in the midst of war? Does war make them monsters,oraretheymonsterstobeginwith?Mayor PrentissdisagreeswithBensstatementwhenhesays onpage11,Itswarthatmakesusmeninthefirst place.Untilthereswar,weareonlychildren.Doyou agreeordisagreewithMayorPrentiss?Explain. 3. n page 10, Todd describes the Noise of theAsks O army as a monstrous thing, tuned together and twisted round itself, roaring as a single voice, like a loud and angry giant pounding its way down the road. This is an example of what type of figurative language?Explain. 4. xamine the four factions involved in this war and E their leaders: theAsk (Mayor Prentiss), theAnswer (Mistress Coyle), the Spackle (the Sky), and the newcomers (Simone Watkin and Bradley Tench). What are the similarities and differences in their military tactics and leadership styles? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these different tactics andstyles?HowdotheseleadersprepareTodd,Viola, and the Return for leadership? Do Todd, Viola, or theReturnwanttherolesthatarebeingthrustupon them?Explain. 5. oddcontinuouslyrepeats,IamtheCircleandthe T Circleisme.Wheredoesthelinecomefrom,and whatisitssignificance?TheMayortellsToddmany timesthatifhecontrolshisNoise,hecancontrolthe world.Onpage75,Toddthinks,IfIcancontrolmy Noise, I can control myself. And if I can control myselfMaybe I can control him. Describe how Todds Noise changes throughout Monsters of Men. HowdoeshelearntocontrolhisNoise?Doesheever useittocontrolMayorPrentissorothers?Whatare theconsequences? 6. eeptrackofthewayswarisdescribedthroughout K Monsters of Men.Findexamplesinthestorythateither supportornegatethesedescriptions.Forinstance,on page37,MistressCoylesays,Warmakesuglynecessity.Onpage49,Toddthinks,Thereaintnotime for nothing in war except war. On page 62, Todd says,Thatsthenasty,nastysecretofwar....When

yerwinning,itseffingthrilling. Onpage85,theSky tellstheReturn,Todaywasabattle....Butawaris madeofmanybattles.BradleyrepeatedlytellsViola thatwarcantbepersonal.MayorPrentisstellsTodd onpage190,Thatshowwargoes.Youhavetomake impossible decisions. Viola thinks on page 287, Warsmakenosense.Youkillpeopletotellthemyou wanttostopkillingthem.Whatdothesestatements mean?Doyouthinkthereistruthineachstatement? Howdotheyrelatetoourlivesingeneral?Explain. 7. npage580,Violasays,Itsahellofathingtokill O someoneEvenwhenyouthinktheydeserveit.Is Violaakillerornot?IsToddakillerornot?Bothare facedseveraltimesinthiswarwiththeneedtokillor bekilled(seepage35,forexample).Whathappens ineachsituationwhentheyarefacedwiththismoral dilemma?Intheend,whentheyareperhapsreadyto kill,howaretheysavedfromthisdilemma?Howare ToddandViolaandtheReturnalikeinthissense? 8. iscuss Todds relationship with Angharrad, Violas D relationship withAcorn, and Mayor Prentisss relationship with Morpeth and Juliets Joy. How is the personalityofeachoftheseanimalssimilartothatof theirhumancounterparts?Whatisthefateofeach oftheseanimals? 9. n page 68, Viola tells Bradley, If you ever doubt O anything here, if you ever not know what to think orwhototrust,youtrustTodd,okay?Youremember that. Though Todd and Viola say they trust each other and that they will always tell each other the truth, there are moments when they experience doubtandarenotentirelytruthfulwitheachother. This is partly due to Mayor Prentisss and Mistress Coyles manipulations, and partly a matter of their own choosing. What are the secrets they withhold fromeachother?Whydotheywithholdthetruthin these instances?What impact doeswithholdingthe truthhaveonthemandtheirrelationship?Oncethey supposedlyrevealthetruthtoeachother(seepages 260261),theyassureeachotherthateverythingis undercontrol.Isit? 10. atrickNessintroducesathirdnarratoronpage77 P of Monsters of Men. Who is this narrator? Review thisnarratorsstoryonpages194199.Doyoufeel theadditionofthisvoiceisnecessary?Howdoesthe additionofthisvoiceaddtoordetractfromthestory?

MonstersofMen DiscussionGuide

w w w.candlewick.com 2

ThisnarratortalksoftheSky,theLand,theClearing, theBurden,theReturn,andtheKnife.Whatisthe meaningofeachoftheseterms? 11. owisthelanguageoftheLanddifferentformthe H language of the Burden and of the Clearing? What impactdoesthishaveonthemembersofeach?What doesthelanguageofeachgrouptellthereaderabout theirbeliefsystem? 12. he Return speaks of his one in particular. What T does this phrase mean? Who is this? Describe the development of their relationship, how it ended, andtheimpactthishadontheReturn.Readpages 268270. Are there details that surprise you? The SourcetellstheReturnabouthisownoneinparticularonpage426.Howaretheirsituationssimilar? 13. heReturntalkstotheSkyabouttheKnifeonpage T 84.HetellstheSkythattheKnifeisworsethanthe others....Heisworstofallofthem....Because heknewhewasdoingwrong.Hefeltthepainofhis actions....Therestareworthasmuchastheirpack animals...butworstistheonewhoknowsbetterand does nothing. What is your response to this statement?TheReturnsmotivationinthiswarseemsto betoavengetheactionsoftheKnife.Why?Explain howhismotivationsshiftasthebookgoeson. 14. iolawearsabandwiththenumber1391onit.Why V does she wear this band? How does it impact her? What might the band be symbolic of ? The Return wears a similar band. Why does he wear it? What impactdoesithaveonhim?Whatdoesitsymbolize? Who else wears bands? What is the fate of those whoweartheband?Explain.Howisthiseventually resolved? When Mayor Prentiss says on page 565, Andthat...ismypartinggifttoyou,Viola,towhat ishereferring? 15. n page 114, the Return thinks, The Land is all O one,isitnot?Thelandhasnoothers,ithasnotheyor those.ThereisonlyoneLand.Comparethisphilosophy to the thinking of the Mayor, Mistress Coyle, Todd,andViola.Dothesecharactersvalueseparateness or unity more? How does this influence their actions, especially in terms of the war that is being waged?Aretherethosewhoareseenasothersin ourculture?Howdoesthisthinkingaffectusall?

16. hich characters advocate for a peaceful solution W tothewar?Whatistheirreasoningforthissolution? Doyoufeelthat,evenintheend,peaceisactually possible for those on New World? How about for humansonEarth?Explainyourreasoning. 17. oddandViolaarecompletelydevotedtoeachother. T In their conversation on page 164 Viola says, If theydhurtyou,iftheydkilledyou...Idhavekilled everylastoneofthem.Toddreplies,Iddothesame, Viola...withouteventhinkingtwice.Onpage166, Viola wonders, Does it make us dangerous? What doyouthinkshemeans?Whatspecificactiononher partcauseshertoaskthis?OthercharactersrecognizethepowerofToddandViolasdevotiontoeach other and use it to manipulate them. Do you think thismakesthemdangerous?Explain. 18. istressCoylesaystoViolaonpage175,Ideals,my M girl....Alwayseasiertobelieveinthanlive.Bradley respondsbysaying,Butifyoudontatleasttrytolive them...thentheresnopointinlivingatall.What isthedefinitionofideal?Whataretheidealsbeing discussed here? Do you agree with Mistress Coyle and/orBradley?Explain. 19. hoice is discussed many times throughout the C Chaos Walking trilogy. For instance, in The Ask and the Answer, Mistress Coyle tells Viola, We are the choices we make. (page 98). On page 182 of Monsters of Men, BradleytellsViola,Tosayyouhave nochoiceistoreleaseyourselffromresponsibilityand thatsnothowapersonwithintegrityacts.Whatare somegoodchoicesandsomepoorchoicesthatTodd, Viola,andtheReturnmake?Whatimpactdothese choices have on their lives and the lives of others? Thinkofsituationsinyourlifewhereyouhavemade choicesthathavesignificantlyimpactedthecourseof yourlife.Didyouordidyounottakeownershipfor thesechoices?Whatweretheconsequencesofthese actions? 20. n page 183, Todd looks through his mothers O journal and can only read the words My dearest son.Hethinksthepagesofherjournalcontainmy ma, talking and talking.And I cant hear her. The fact that he is illiterate haunts him.Author Patrick Ness continues to remind us of Todds illiteracy through Todds use of misspellings (projeckshun,

MonstersofMen DiscussionGuide

w w w.candlewick.com 3

impayshuntly, emoshunal) and poor grammar (aint, speechify). On page 249, Mayor Prentiss offerstoteachToddtoread.TheironyisthatMayor Prentiss is the reason that Todd cant read. In the end,isthisanhonestoffer?ExplainhowtheMayor uses books and education to manipulate Todd and theothers.WhatmightwelearnfromToddsexperienceswitheducationandreading? 21. heconceptofredemptionisakeythemeinMonsters T of Men.Onpage190,MayorPrentisstellsToddthat beforehissonsdeathToddhadredeemedDavy:You changed him, Todd Hewitt. . . . He was a wastrel, andyounearlymadehimaman.DoesToddredeem Davy?Giveexamplestosupportyourresponse.The Mayor is described by Mistress Coyle on page 393 as a terrible, savage, brutal genius. However, the Mayorsaysonpage396,Youveredeemedme,Todd Hewitt.Redeemedmewhennooneelsewouldhave thoughtitpossible....Orevendesirable.However, ToddsaysonseveraloccasionsthatMayorPrentissis notredeemable.Forinstance,onpage374hesays, I look at his face, his completely untrustworthy, unredeemableface.DoesToddchangeandredeem MayorPrentiss?Thinkoftheeventsthattakeplaceat theendofthebook.IstheMayorcapableofredemption?Doeshedeserveredemption?Explain. 22. heleadersofthedifferentfactionsinvolvedinthis T warbelievethatthedeathofoneorafewissometimesnecessaryinwartosavethewhole.Onpages 209210,whenapologizingtoViolaforthebombin thecathedralthatcouldhavetakenherlife,Mistress Coyle tells Viola, Leaders must sometimes make monstrous decisions . . . and my monstrous decisionwasthatifyourlifewaslikelytobelostonan errand you insisted on taking, then I would at least takethechance,howeverslim,tomakeyourdeath worth it. . . . Then you would have been a martyr forthecause...andwewouldhavefoughtinyour name. . . . Youd be surprised at how powerful a martyr can be. What is a martyr? How is the idea thatmartyrshavegreatpowerborneoutinMonsters of Men?After the death of several members of the Land,theSkysays,Necessary in small numbers only. . . . Necessary to save the entire body of the Land. And necessary to finish this was before the convoy arrives. (page 235). Think of modern-day warring factions. Dotheyknowinglysacrificeindividualsforthesake

ofthewhole?Explainandgiveexamples.Howdoyou feelaboutthismilitarytactic?Canweconsiderthese individualsmartyrs? 23. n pages 255256, Mayor Prentiss and Mistress O Coyleeachdescribetheactionsoftheother.Review theseaccusations.Doyoufeelthattheseaccusations areaccurate? 24. istressCoylesaysofMayorPrentissonpage300, M Usuallywhenamancallsawomanabitch...its becauseshesdoingsomethingright.Whatareyour thoughtsonthis? 25. he relationship between Mayor Prentiss and Todd T is multilayered and complex, as is the relationship between Mistress Coyle and Viola. Describe these relationships. Do you believe the Mayor when he repeatedlytellsToddthingslike,Yourearemarkable youngman,youknowthat?(page325)?Whatabout Mistress Coyle when she says things to Viola like, Yourelucky,youknow.Soyoung.Somanychances aheadofyou.Youcouldturnouttobeabetterversion of me.A version of me whos never forced to be so ruthless(page330)?ConsiderMistressCoylesand MayorPrentisssfinalacts.Dotheseactssupportor negatethestatementsabove?Explain.HowdoTodd andViolaseetheMayorandMistressCoyle?Discuss how Todd and Violas feelings for the Mayor and MistressCoylechangethroughoutthebook. 26. t one point, while looking at Bradley, the Return A realizesthatheisonlynewlyarrived,aforerunnerof allthosewhoarestilltocome.Stilltocometopush thelandoutofitsownworld.Stilltocometomake allofustheBurden.Andmorewillnodoubtcome after.Andmoreafterthat(page346).Whyisitthat BradleysandSimonespeoplecannotreturntotheir homeland? Think of examples throughout history where a member of an indigenous group may have lookedatacolonialistandthoughtthesesamethings. 27. Can you blame me if Im curious about new tech nologies? the Mayor asks Todd on page 376. This isanexampleofNesssuseofforeshadowing.What eventsdoesthisstatementforeshadow? 28. hichcharactermakesasurprisereturninMonsters W of Men? Where has this character been? (See page 453.) Why do you think author Patrick Ness made

MonstersofMen DiscussionGuide

w w w.candlewick.com 4

thechoicetobringthischaracterback?Whatimpact doesthischaractersreturnhaveontherelationship between Todd and the Mayor, and on the story in general?Doyoufeelthatthereturnofthischaracter wasnecessarytothestory? 29. n page 452, the Source says to Todd, Thats the O secret of this planet. . . . Communication, real and open,sowecanfinallyunderstandeachother.What preventshumansonearthfromhavingthatrealand opencommunicationbeingtalkedabouthere?Could this type of communication be the solution to the conflicts between contemporary warring factions? Whyorwhynot? 30. heMayortellsToddonpage532,SomanyimporT tantthingshavehappenedtoyouinchurches...I thoughtitonlyfittingtobringyoutooneforwhatis

eitheryourlastchapter....Oryourfirst.Later,on page555,Violagetsasinkingfeelingofhowmany terrible things have happened to me and Todd in churches.Whataresomeimportanteventsthathave takenplaceinchurchesthroughoutthethreebooks intheChaosWalkingtrilogy?Inthepresentday,what importanteventsoftentakeplaceinchurches?Have any significant events in your own life taken place inchurches?Doyoufeelthatanyofthecharacters in the series are particularly religious or spiritual? What do you think the churches in Chaos Walking symbolize? 31. hat is your interpretation of the last section of W Monsters of Men, Arrival? What do you think will happenafterthestoryends?Istherehopetobefound inthefinalpagesofthetrilogy?

ABOUT PATRICK NESS

Patrick Ness was born on an army base in Virginia, where his father was a drill sergeant. As a child he also lived in Hawaii, Washingtonstate,andCalifornia. As a young adult, Patrick Ness studied English literature at the University of Southern California.In1999 hemovedto London,wherehehaslivedsince. HehastaughtcreativewritingatOxfordUniversityand writtenbookreviewsforseveralpublications.Mostofhis timeisspentwriting. ThebooksintheChaosWalkingtrilogyhavewonmany awards.Mostrecently,Monsters of Menwasshort-listed forthe2010W.H.SmithChildrensBookoftheYear.It alsoappearsonseveralbestbooksof2010lists. InterestingfactsaboutPatrickNessincludethathewas agothasateen,hasatattooofarhinoceros,isacertified scuba diver, will not eat onions under any circumstances,isamarathonrunner(andsayshegetshisbest ideaswhilerunning),wasacceptedintofilmschoolbut turned it down to study writing, wrote a radio comedy about vampires, and always knows the last line of his booksbeforehestartswriting.

MonstersofMen DiscussionGuide

w w w.candlewick.com 5

ALSO BY PATRICK NESS:

book ONE in The Chaos Walking SERIES book Two in The Chaos Walking SERIES

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Short-listed for the Carnegie Medal Winner of the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize An Amazon.com Best Book of the Year An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults A Booklist Editors Choice A Booktrust Teenage Prize Winner (U.K.) Short-listed for the Branford Boase Award A James Tiptree, Jr. Award Winner

The Ask and the Answer

A Costa Childrens Book Award Winner A Publishers Weekly Best Childrens Book of the Year A Booklist Editors Choice

Grim and beautifully written. . . . Uses a brilliant cast

of well-developed characters and its singular setting and premise to present a provocative examination of the nature of evil and humanity. This is among the best YA science fiction novels of the year. PublishersWeekly (starred review)

Crack dramatic and comic timing . . . unforgettable . . .

penetrating. . . . The cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut. Booklist (starred review) HC: 978-0-7636-3931-0 PB: 978-0-7636-4576-2 E-book: 978-0-7636-4576-2

An amalgamation of societys most brutal facets fascism,

terrorism, torture, ethnic cleansing with all kinds of relevance to our world . . . a relentless flurry of heavy-hitting issues, hinging on appeasement, complicity, and maintaining ones morality in the face of impossible choices. Booklist (starred review) HC: 978-0-7636-4490-1 PB: 978-0-7636-4837-4 E-book: 978-0-7636-5217-3

A Monster Calls
From a premise left by author Siobhan Dowd before her
untimely death, Ness has crafted a nuanced tale that draws on elements of classic horror stories to delve into the terrifying terrain of loss. KirkusReviews (starred review)

Thisdiscussionguidewaswritten byTerriEvans,mediaspecialist atChamplinParkHighSchoolin Minnesota.In2010,PatrickNess visitedChamplinParkHighSchoolto spendthreedaysdiscussingThe Knife of Never Letting Gowiththenearly 3,500studentsandstaffwhohadread thebookoverthesummer.

Beautiful in its execution, and fearless in its honesty.

Booklist (starred review)

A profoundly moving, expertly crafted tale of

unaccountable loss. PublishersWeekly (starred review) HC: 978-0-7636-4490-1 E-book: 978-0-7636-5217-3

MonstersofMen DiscussionGuide

w w w.candlewick.com 6