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Essay Questions
1. Jamie is shunned by her peers at school. Is this a realistic portrayal of today's high school students? Would an outstanding student who is kind and gentle, wears dowdy clothing, uses no makeup, and carries a Bible with her everywhere be a source of ridicule? Why or why not?
2. One of the central themes in A Walk to Remember is listening to your heart. Consider all the decisions facing teenagers, including which college to attend, which subject to major in, whether to take out massive student loans, whom to date, and so on. Does American society encourage feeling your way through those decisions or thinking your way through? Give concrete examples of the messages given by the media, colleges, guidance counselors, parents, and other students.
3. With such a focus on Jamie's (and, later, Landon's) faith, A Walk to Remember is considered by many to be a Christian novel. Does this story have a larger audience than Christian readers and, if so, why?
4. Read Great Expectations, The Catcher in the Rye, or The Red Badge of Courage. Compare these coming-of-age novels to A Walk to Remember. Which areas of growth and development in the protagonist are similar; which are different?