41 pages • 1 hour read
David PatneaudeThin Wood Walls
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2004A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Why does Patneaude use an 11-year-old narrator to tell this story? What added dimensions does Joe’s perspective bring to Patneaude’s themes and narrative?
In what ways does the American government oppress the Japanese American community? How do small but significant oppressions foreshadow greater oppressions to come?
What do Mr. Spooner and Ray represent? How do they differ from other white American characters, and what is Patneaude saying by including them?
Why did the United States target Japanese Americans for incarceration and not imprison Germans and Italians as well? What does this reveal about racism in American society?
How does the media propel a negative and dangerous narrative about Japanese Americans? Has the media’s influence changed in contemporary America? Explain your reasoning.
Why does Mike want to join the army? What does he believe he can achieve? How do his hopes manifest in the end?
Why doesn’t Thin Wood Walls have a happy ending? What message is Patneaude conveying?
How does Patneaude use the symbol of the haiku? What does it say about expression, culture, and brotherhood?
How does Joe change throughout the narrative? Does Mike change, and if so, how?
The novel ends with Joe still in incarceration. Write an epilogue that tells the story of Joe’s life after he is freed. What is his life like? How does he feel?
