43 pages • 1 hour read
The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship
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Essay Topics
Lopez utilizes many sources in The Soloist to provide factual information. Choose 3 to 4 of these sources and discuss how they contribute to the book’s journey through a major theme, such as the complexities of mental illness or the importance of art.
After reading The Soloist, did your view of mental illness change? Describe your understanding of mental illness before reading this book versus your understanding of it after.
Lopez includes extensive descriptions of setting. Choose 2 or 3 of the prominent settings used in the book and discuss how they tie into major themes.
Music is a significant aspect of Nathaniel Ayers’s life. Discuss the ways in which music has allowed him to survive through trying circumstances.
How does the character of Nathaniel Ayers develop over time? How does his understanding of himself and of others undergo a transformation?
Lopez is an upper middle-class man of European descent helping a homeless African American man. Lopez is also the voice and author of Ayers’s story in The Soloist. Discuss the social and ethical issues that may emerge from this dynamic.
Discuss Lopez’s use of vivid, sensory detail in the book. How does it enhance your reading of the text in terms of character, setting, theme, etc.?
Family dynamics in various forms emerge in The Soloist. Discuss their different iterations and how it affects one or two of the main characters.
Musical instruments and objects create prominent motifs in The Soloist. Discuss their use and the way in which they deepen your understanding of the text.
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