53 pages • 1 hour read
Scott O'DellThunder Rolling in the Mountains
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1992A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
What gives Sound of Running Feet the power to talk back to her father? What are the limits of her power?
How do the Nez Perce think about rights and power? How is that different than the view of the white soldiers and settlers?
What significance do names have for the Nez Perce?
What is the balance between bravery and self-preservation in the novel? Who are the advocates for each side, and how is bravery both commended and dismissed as foolish?
What do rifles symbolize in this text? Why is it meaningful that Sound of Running Feet gives Swan Necklace her grandfather’s rifle?
In what ways does the Ne-mee-poo’s spiritual practice make it difficult for them to understand the brutality of the soldiers?
What does Sound of Running Feet’s experience with the white women settlers teach her about the world?
How do the soldier’s sow discord between tribes? What impact does this have on the Nez Perce?
Despite the bigoted narrative that Native Americans were “uncivilized” during this period in American history, O’Dell indicates many points to the contrary. What does this indicate about his perspective or belief about this conflict?
What do the soldiers promise to the Nez Perce for their surrender, and what are they given? What else are they surrendering, besides their home, and what parts of their lives and cultures do they have to give up to accommodate white demands?
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