Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow

Simon and Baz start the novel as enemies but later become allies and boyfriends. How do they gain each other’s trust? How do they change one another? How does Simon and Baz’s evolving relationship develop the theme of Fate Versus Free Will and impact the novel’s overall meaning?

Throughout the novel, fire is used as a motif that supports the theme of The Purpose of Power. In various scenes, fire is alternately dangerous and helpful. How do the motif’s appearances illuminate the author’s thoughts on power?

In what ways are the characters shaped by the tension between fate and free will? Which characters want to believe in destiny? Which characters advocate for free will instead? How does Simon’s understanding of destiny change over the course of the novel? Ultimately, does Simon escape his fate? If so, how? If not, why not?

How is the search for love connected to the search for identity for Simon and other characters? How do these changes contribute to the theme of Discovering Love and Identity and inform the novel’s overall meaning?

Compare the novel’s magical items: Simon’s wings, the Sword of Mages, the artifacts the Mage steals from the Old Families, the anti-vampire cross Simon wears, et cetera. How does the novel use these objects to advance its themes?

In this novel, Rowell creates a system of magic based upon the spoken word. Why does she characterize Simon as struggling to control his magic and speech?

How do the Mage, Natasha Pitch, and the Petty twins present different aspects of magical power? Which characters seek power and which do not? Why?

Consider the novel’s interest in outsider status—Baz’s vampirism, Simon’s orphan childhood and later his Chosen One label, Ebb’s decision to herd goats, Davy’s rejection by the Coven, etc. How are the world’s in-groups formed? What are the effects of not being part of a group?