Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What, if anything, is the lesson we're supposed to learn from Giants in the Earth ? Which character should we try to be like? Which should we not?
- How are we supposed to read the ending of this book? What does it tell us about love and life?
- What is Per Hansa's tragic flaw? How does it impact his life?
- Is Per Hansa selfish for bringing his family to America, or is he brave? Is he both? Why?
- What event causes the most mental damage to Beret? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
- Overall, does this book make you want to visit North Dakota or not? Why?
- How does Rölvaag's Norwegian background show up in Giants in the Earth ? What does it add to the story?
- How does Per Hansa react when he finds stakes driven into the ground to mark off Hans Olsa and Tönseten's lands? Who drove these stakes and what happens when they show up?
- Why does Per Hansa put on skis and trek out into a snowstorm at the end of this book? What does it tell us about him as a person?
- Does Beret know how poor her mental health is, or does she think she's perfectly sane? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.