Post comments to questions 1-3
A Prayer for the Dying
A Novel
by Stewart O’Nan
ISBN-10: 0-312-42891-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-42891-4
About this Guide
The following author biography and list of questions about A Prayer for the Dying are intended as resources to aid individual readers and book groups who would like to learn more about the author and this book. We hope that this guide will provide you a starting place for discussion, and suggest a variety of perspectives from which you might approach A Prayer for the Dying.
About the Book
Set in Friendship, Wisconsin, just after the Civil War, A Prayer for the Dying tells of a horrible epidemic that is suddenly and gruesomely killing the town's residents and setting off a terrifying paranoia. Jacob Hansen, Friendship's sheriff, undertaker, and pastor, is soon overwhelmed by the fear and anguish around him, and his sanity begins to fray. Dark, poetic, and chilling, A Prayer for the Dying examines the effect of madness and violence on the morality of a once-decent man.
About the Author
Stewart O’Nan’s novels include Last Night at the Lobster, The Night Country, and A Prayer for the Dying. He is also the author of the nonfiction books The Circus Fire and, with Stephen King, the bestselling Faithful. Granta named him one of the Twenty Best Young American Novelists. He lives in Connecticut.
Discussion Questions
1. The book is narrated in the second person, addressing the main character, Jacob, as “you.” Who is speaking? Why do you think the author chose this mode to tell the story?
2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
3. Why does Jacob elect to bleed and treat the bodies of some victims, even after Doc has told him not to, and even though he knows he’s putting himself in danger? Why is precision and diligence so important to him even when everyone around him is worried only about survival?
4. What role does religious faith play in the story? How does it influence Jacob, Chase, and other citizens of Friendship? Is their faith rewarded?
5. Jacob is a veteran of the Civil War. How does his experience there affect the way he behaves in the crisis in Friendship? How did the war change him?
6. How would you describe the relationship between Jacob and Doc? How do their different ideas about the world lead to different strategies for handling the outbreak in Friendship?
7. How does Jacob’s relationship with Marta affect his behavior in the outbreak? How do his priorities as a father and husband conflict with his responsibility to the town?
8. How do you interpret the book’s ending? What is Jacob choosing when he returns to Friendship? What do you imagine happening to him next?
9. Is Jacob sane at the end of the book? How does the author demonstrate the changes in his mind as conditions worsen?
10. “You’ve stopped believing in evil,” the narrator says of Jacob early in the story (p. 6). “Is that a sin?” Is there evil in this story? Does Jacob come to see it by the end?
11. How do the book’s two epigraphs relate to each other? Why do you think the author chose them?
12. Jacob is committed throughout the book to saving Friendship, and willing to sacrifice himself if necessary. Is he naïve? Does his commitment to principle do more harm than good in the end? Begin working on second person short stories.
ReplyDeleteDiscussion questions
1.In “Prayer for the dying” Jacob is the one narrating the story. I think that author chose to do it in second person because Jacob has three jobs in the town of Friendship,he is the constable,undertaker and preacher. Through each one of Jacob’s jobs he is around death and has to handle it. In some ways Jacob is the glue that holds the town together,also with those jobs he knows everyone and their business.
2.When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie he agonizes killing her but he pretends that she is a deer . Jacob says that he is holding on to a dream of innocence and blamelessness because he can’t let this affect him. If Jacob lets the death of Clytie,a cow, bother him, he will never be able to get through anyone else. Jacob realizes that Clytie isn’t herself anymore and it the right thing to do because he will be protecting the town.
3.Jacob continues to bleed the victims because like the doctor he has a need to help and please everyone. Jacob made promises to God that he would fulfill his calling and Doc doesn’t understand that.
1. I believe the reason as to why Jacob is addressed as "you" is because it's to try and put the reader in the shoes of Jacob so the reader could have the similar type of feelings as Jacob feels.
ReplyDelete2. Jacob agonized killing Clytie because, even though he knows it's the right thing to do he wants to keep hold of some shred of innocence. so he tries to use blamelessness to try and keep the thought of when he killed the cow out of his head. Jacob goes through with killing CLytie though when he understands that by killing CLytie, he'll be protecting the town since Clytie is no longer herself anyways.
3. Jacob continues to bleed the victims because he can't help it. He just has the need and habit to help out and please every person.
1. Second person narrative is a bold and daring move for a novelist that is overall very intriguing to a reader, thus one of the reasons why O’Nan chose this perspective. Furthermore, it is a challenge to make plot points and such clear for the reader to understand, but O’Nan was willing to accept the challenge to better his writing. O’Nan uses the “you” pronoun to write in Jacob’s perspective as well as to write in the universe’s point of view, addressing, for example, the town as a whole.
ReplyDelete3. Despite Doc’s warning, Jacob fulfills his duty as undertaker and drains the blood from the soldier’s body. He does this out of respect and the feeling of personal connection. O’Nan goes into great detail while Jacob is examining the body for the first time, highlighting his uniform and the supplies Jacob used while fighting. Jacob takes great care and diligence when performing his duties out of respect for the body, the victim being a soldier but also unidentified.
4. Religion plays a great role in A Prayer for the Dying in that it is a constant moral presence throughout the story. The olden post-Civil War time period and small town setting automatically gives religion a greater importance. Furthermore, in a crisis such as the mysterious disease that is hitting Friendship, religion is one of the few things the community can lean on. One of the best examples to compare Friendship is Europe during the Black Plague; during the height of the epidemic, there was a surge of religious following under the belief that God was punishing the people and the only way to stop it was to become more dedicated than ever to Him.
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ReplyDeleteKarina Le, Tamaron McKnight
ReplyDelete1.
The person who is speaking is an absent narrator. Though the impact of a second person narrator creates a strong connection between the audience and the character(s). Through this connection, when certain turns and twists of plot occur, the audience will be more struck with sympathy for the character.
2.
Jacob agonizes over killing Clytie, the cow, because although it was the right thing to do, it’s still taking away a life. As a soldier too, it can be said that he felt that pain in a similar manner because as a preacher—someone to speak the lessons of God—it is a sin to murder even out of a good moral standpoint. When the author writes that Jacob is “still clinging to some dream of innocence” he is writing about how Jacob desires to be a sinless man, despite all that he has done (being in the war, having to be the constable, etc.). Even later in the story, Jacob still tries to cling to a sense of martyrdom because that’s how the author portrays him: as someone perfect, as someone completely a saint and who can do no wrong. It is Jacob, through second person, that desperately wants to cling to what he, himself, created his character to be.
3.
Jacob elects to bleed and treat the bodies because it is his responsibility as both the undertaker, the constable, and the leader of the town. He also had felt a connection to the body as he, too, was a soldier, and there was a kinship in this small connection. Precision and diligence are important to him because he is separate from the town itself as its leader. Because if he is diligent, the town must be so—as he is the role model on the pedestal for the town. He cannot act like everyone else, because he has been given more responsibility and is seen as one of the people to look for in hope, as the preacher. If he panics, Jacob knows that the town will lose its head. So, he must be precise. He must be diligent, because if he is not, the whole town will suffer
1. In “A Prayer for the Dying”, the speaker is Jacob, a preacher, undertaker, and sheriff as he is met with a horrible illness that is sweeping across his town. Although this is the character through which the story is told, the pronoun ‘you’ is utilized, immersing the reader into the story. In this fashion, Jacob is not the only speaker because the audience is now putting themselves in his shoes, making it a universal retelling. O’Nan chose this mode to tell the story because the actions that are occurring inside of the world he has created are now directly influencing the reader. This makes the reading experience interactive and allows the message and suspense of the plot to thicken in the minds of the audience.
ReplyDelete2. Jacob agonizes when he is faced with the task of killing Clytie because, as a preacher, he is very spiritual and religious and believes that every living thing is important. The cow is mad and Jacob must get rid of her to protect the rest of the town, but killing anyone willingly is something that will always be difficult for him to comprehend, no matter the reason. The quote exemplifies Jacob’s complete belief in his faith and his hope to hold onto a sense of purity as the world begins to deteriorate around him. He wants to remain completely innocent, to avoid precipitating anything that could escalate into conflict. He does continue to cling to this dream later in the story as more people begin to die, because he cares for them and wants to protect them as much as possible.
3. Jacob elects to bleed and treat the bodies of victims because he feels that he has a duty to his people to care for them in the best way possible, even after they have left the mortal world. He understands that by doing this he is making himself more susceptible to disease, but he puts himself at risk to hold up his own moral code, so that he can live with himself. Precision and diligence is so important to him even as the world around him crumbles because if he does not pay attention to these values, he would feel as though he had let something be when he could do something to help. If there was anything he could do to make his people more comfortable, he would.
1. The speaker is both Jacob and the reader, as the reader sees the story from Jacob’s point of view, as the sheriff of Friendship. Through second person perspective, the story becomes universal, as any reader is able to take part in the story and The author most likely chose this mode to tell the story so we, the reader, are more clearly able to see the challenges and struggles, both internal and external, that Jacob faces.
ReplyDelete2. Jacob is a very honorable and level-headed man. He is a merciful man of God. When he sees Clytie, mad and in agonizing pain, he immediately feels sorry for the animal and knows that killing it would more safely secure the well-being of the town, but because the cow was innocent and loved, he had trouble pulling the trigger. This quote means that he still tries to find the peace and innocence within all people and situations, reflecting his strong and prominent religious beliefs. He continues to believe this, though death will strike, and his opinion is sure to change.
3. Jacob bleed the bodies and tends to the sick because of his caring nature and his desire to save people, though it puts himself and even his family, though he may not believe so, in danger. Precision and diligence are so important to him despite the danger because he believes that acting in this way will prevent further, more extensive damage to the town, though he may be sacrificing his own life. He acts for the good of the many over the few.
1. The narrator is Jacob, I think he uses this form of writing so we are able to connect more with the story and give us a new perspective and see things straight through his eyes.
ReplyDelete2. Jacob agonizes over killing Clytie because even though he knows it is the right thing he has a hard time doing it. By not killing the cow he would be able to hold onto his shred of innocence. He wants to hold onto his innocence despite his past.
3. Jacob chooses to bleed the bodies and tends to the victims because he is a people pleaser. He wants to help anyone and everyone, and if he does do this he feels it will make him happy. Precision and Diligence is important to him because he feels he has to be the level headed one in the town.
Alexis,Liana,and Emily
ReplyDelete1)The author writes the story in this mode to put the reader in Jacobs shoes. As a coroner, and preacher he has a unique perspective of dealing with the physical aspect of death as well as the spiritual. This point of view puts a different spin on this perspective forcing the reader to see his difficult position.
2) Jacob struggles to pull the trigger because he realizes the burden of taking another’s life. In the war he didn’t have a choice to kill someone, now he’s coming to terms with the fact that this is what he does for a living. “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? is about Jacob’s inner desire to be blamelessness, or innocence is gone because he is remembering his job sometimes is to end another life instead of letting nature take its course.
3) He does this because he cares too much he doesn’t have the thick skin that Doc has he wants to save people because he thinks it will help the town. After all the destruction he has caused in the war he feels he has an obligation to save these people even if it puts his own safety in jeopardy.
1) The speaker is Jacob, a man just returning from the Civil War, who comes back to his town as a preacher and sheriff. The pronoun “you” is used to put the reader into the story to make the book more universal and to let people relate with it more. O’Nan chose this mode so more people could feel like they were in Jacob’s shoes and examine how they would act in the story themselves.
ReplyDelete2) He antagonizes about killing Clytie because, as a very religious man, he believes every living thing is important, but the cow is mad and it will protect the town if he kills it. However, he knows the cow is innocent and loved, so he has a lot of trouble actually killing the cow. The quote means that Jacob strives to find the peace and innocence in everything, like in Clytie, which reflects his strong religious beliefs.
3) Jacob elects to bleed and treat his patients, even after Doc told him not to, because he strongly believes he has the duty to care for his people. Even though this puts himself and his family in danger, Jacob prioritizes the townspeople above this and believes it might help prevent the spread of disease. Precision and diligence is important to him because these values help center him and make him feel better even as he sees his world getting worse.
1) The person who is speaking in the book is a narrator. the second person narrator makes a very good connection between the audience and the characters being displayed. the second person connection causes a plot twist which
ReplyDeletecreates feelings for the characters.
2) Jacob does not want to pull the trigger because he realized how it will be to take another person life. when he was in war he didn't have a choice , but to kill someone. Jacob is now coming to a stage in his life where he is realize this is what he is doing for a living each day. When he does this it makes him feel happy.
3)Jacob elects to bleed and teat his patients the way he do because he is trying to please the people. jacobw ant to help anyone and everyone that he can.