Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Although the novel takes us all over the world, there are two locations in particular that define The World According to Garp: the Steerling Campus and Dog's Head Harbor. It's ironic that these two...
What's Up With the Title?
The title shows up throughout the novel in various forms—often not even referring to Garp at all. So we see chapters titled The World According to Marcus Aurelius and The World According to Bense...
What's Up With the Ending?
So after all of that—the crazy accidents, the immense personal growth, and the massive literary success—Garp is killed by Pooh Percy. If you saw that one coming, then you should really consider...
Tough-o-Meter
You're not going to run into anything too difficult in The World According to Garp. Irving is a master at creating straight-forward yet compelling plots—that's why his books make such excellent f...