64 pages • 2 hours read
Michael NorthropTrapped
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011A 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
For much of Trapped, Weems categorizes the other characters—even his friends. Based on how Weems does this, what categories might he assign you? Why those categories? Do you categorize people? What did Weems’s character arc teach you about placing people into a category based on a single aspect of their life?
At the end of the novel, Weems thinks an angel is rescuing him. Based on Weems’s beliefs and thoughts about prayer, do you think Weems’s prayers had anything to do with his rescue? Explain.
Throughout Trapped, Weems seems to deliberately withhold information about the group’s teachers and family members. What do you think was the author’s intent in having Weems withhold this information? Did these missing details enhance your experience of the story? Why or why not?
The main conflict of Trapped is man versus nature, where the storm is the antagonist. What qualities does the storm share with a traditional (human/external) antagonist? Does Northrop personify the storm? In what way? Site the text in your examples.
Weems says he is the narrator because not all the kids survive. How might the story have been different if another of the kids narrated? Pick two other characters trapped in the school and outline how they would have told the story.
After Pete goes for help in Chapter 35, Weems realizes Jason had been trying to save Pete by telling him not to take Flammenwerfer. Jason doesn’t mention having the balance on the cart wrong until this point. Why do you think Jason didn’t tell Pete about the balance? Does Jason indirectly murder Pete by not confessing his suspicion? Is this similar to Les not warning Gossell about the distress signal in Chapter 7? Explain your thoughts.
Trapped ends with the helicopter turning around, but it’s not specified if it goes in the right direction or makes it to the school in time. Why do you think the author chose to leave these questions unanswered? Outline what you think happens to the rest of the kids while Weems goes for help.
The nor’easter in Trapped is the worst storm New England has seen in decades. How would you prepare if you knew a storm this size was coming? How would you react if the storm hit without warning? What effects might the storm and its aftermath have on society’s ability to function normally?
Any seven kids could have wound up trapped during this storm. Why do you think the author chose these seven kids? What does each character bring to the story? Would you replace any of the kids with a different character? Why or why not? If so, what different characters would you put in the story?
Weems makes references to popular books and movies throughout the story. Do these references help you relate to Weems/Trapped? Why or why not? If so, in what way do they help?
