Your essay should:

• Present a clear, debatable thesis that states your stance on how the dual narrative structure supports the novel's thematic issues.
• Analyze at least two specific scenes or passages where the narrative viewpoint influences or alters the reader's comprehension of events.
• Explore the significance of silence — both literal (Alicia's choice not to speak) and figurative (the truths characters conceal from themselves) — as a recurring theme.
• Investigate the psychological aspects of at least one character (Alicia or Theo), using evidence from the text to bolster your interpretation.
• Conclude by contemplating what the novel ultimately implies about the trustworthiness of self-awareness and the narratives we create for ourselves.

Evaluation Criteria

Strength of thesis, use of textual evidence, depth of analysis, organization, and clarity of argument.

Your essay should:

• Present a clear, defensible thesis regarding how the structural and narrative choices shape the reader's understanding of innocence, guilt, or psychological reality.
• Incorporate specific textual evidence (scenes, dialogue, or narrative details) to bolster your argument.
• Analyze at least two literary devices (e.g., unreliable narration, dramatic irony, foreshadowing, or misdirection) and discuss how they enhance the novel's central themes of obsession, trauma, and truth.
• Consider a counterargument: explore how a reader might interpret the narrative structure in a different light, and refute or complicate that perspective.

Guiding Questions to Consider

> Length: 4–6 paragraphs | Format: Standard academic essay with introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

• Whose account of events does the reader find trustworthy, and why?
• How does Alicia's silence act as both a literal and symbolic element?
• What does the twist reveal about the nature of psychological projection and obsession?