Characters
How many main characters are included in "The Egg" besides the narrator? Who are they?
Mother & Father of the narrator; Joe Kane
What type of story is "The Egg"; What P.O.V. is the story told in?
“The Egg” is a short story in 1st person point of view. It is told in the form of a narrative.
What tone does the narrator give toward the life of a chicken?
Depressing, Somber, Bleak, Hopeless
What two words are constantly repeated throughout the story? Why do you think the author includes these phrases so much?
Chicken, Egg; to emphasize the impact of the chicken farming or hard work had on the family over time.
Which character seems to drive the family toward ambitious lifestyles most? Why?
Mother; She is the person who suggests that the family work different jobs to be more successful. She also insists that the narrator is educated.
Was the narrator's childhood a happy one according to his point of view? Why?
No, because he grew up on a chicken farm. surrounded by death and watched as his parents struggled to achieve success at any cost.
What tone does the following statement give the audience about the lives of chickens:
“It is born out of an egg, lives for a few weeks as a tiny fluffy thing such as you will see pictured on Easter cards, then becomes hideously naked, eats quantities of corn and meal bought by the sweat of your father’s brow, gets diseases called pip, cholera, and other names, stands looking with stupid eyes at the sun, becomes sick and dies” (Paragraph 5).
The tone is very Depressing, Somber, Weak. The narrator uses negative connotations and imagery to build this tone in the excerpt.
What is the family's definition of being successful in the Egg as described by Jim Cullen?
Hard work and upwards mobility can help one better themselves in life and achieve their dreams.
How many attempts does Father make to impress Joe Kane? How did he attempt to impress him?
3 Attempts; He tries the Columbus trick and fails, He shows Joe Kane the grotesques, and he tries to fit an egg into a bottle by heating it in vinegar but fails.
Is the narrator from "The Egg" biased? If so, does it aid in the reliability of the characterization of his parents?
The narrator’s bias makes the entire family’s situation more depressing and exaggerated.
The narrator mentions that his father goes from being sociable and happy to being “habitually silent and discouraged”(8) upon becoming more ambitious. How do these words from the text help us perceive his tone about ambition?
It helps the reader understand how success robs you of your happiness if it cannot be achieved quickly or from hard work.
What two possible themes can be pulled from the text based on the efforts of the parents to achieve their dreams?
Success can come at the cost of one's happiness.
The American Dream is based on creating a better life for your children or for future generations.
The narrator felt as though he didn't deserve to be happy like the other children in Pickleville, Ohio. Why?
He feels as though he cannot be happy due to growing up around so much death at the chicken farm.
How does the narrator's P.O.V. give the audience insight to his motives for telling the story?
We wouldn’t understand the personal effect of the narrator’s childhood or how horribly success can effect someone’s childhood
Which author's crafts does the narrator use to help us depict the lives of chickens in the narrative?
Imagery, specific word choice, Negative Connotations, Syntax.
How can we compare and contrast Anderson's definition of the American Dream to "The Fallacy of Success" by G.K.Chesterton?
Both authors discuss the failure of books in helping teach people success; Both discuss hard work as a factor of success; however, the family does not succeed in their dreams by the end of the story.
How does the author's use of characterization of Mother and Father help contribute to the text's theme that Success can come at the cost of one's happiness?
Both parents become more miserable and depressed as they strive harder to succeed and gain more ambition.
How does the narrator's negative view of the life of a chicken help us understand his view of the American Dream? Is it attainable?
The American dream is not attainable. Success robs you of your happiness even when you work hard and tirelessly to achieve it. Some dreams simply will not be achieved.
How does the final paragraph in the story show a shift in the narrator's tone about the ambition of Americans and the American Dream?
The tone shifts from very reflective to AMBIGUOUS as the narrator ponders the purpose of the egg in his life. This references the unknown role our dreams have on our lives and in society.
Is Anderson's definition of the American Dream Attainable? Why or why not?
To be determined; Make sure you add your response to the American Dream Unit Chart with textual evidence supporting its attainability!