Zach s Lie. Concept Analysis

Transcription

1 Zach s Lie Concept Analysis Organizational Patterns: The book is divided into three parts. The first part, entitled Flight, has six chapters; the second, entitled The Three E s, has ten chapters; and the third, entitled, Zach in the Box, has ten chapters. Something important to point out about the author s organization of the book is that every time we come across a new part, we know a conflict will be introduced that will to change the present state of the characters. In essence, he gives us an outline of three major points or events in the book. In the part one, the conflict that occurs is that Jack Osborne has to leave his old life behind and become Zach Granger. In part two, Zach has to overcome all the anger and emotion involved with his family s circumstances. In part three, Zach s identity is compromised and he struggles to figure out what to do. The novel starts as the family is boarding the airplane to move to their new life under the Witness Protection Program. We receive background about all the events that led up to that point through most of part one (about the middle of chapter six). Issues related to the study of literature: 1. This book deals a lot with the issue of figuring out our individual identities. How do we define our identity? Is it in our names, homes, families? What makes us who we are? Does that ever change? What are factors that shape our identity? Because Zach is a 13 year old boy who has to pretend to be someone else, he is forced to examine what he is really like and if Zach Granger and Jack Osborne are really the same person. He faces a reality where no one around him can really know where he used to live, or what his former life was like. Does that mean that no one will ever really know him? Can you know someone without knowing their history? a. If you take the v out of lives, what do you get? (63). b. I haven t gotten a single phone call since we moved here. I don t know what it is, but I can t seem to make myself talk to anyone at school. I think it has something to do with the fact that I can t tell them the truth about who I am (84). c. I asked him if anyone in Elko knew who we really were. He said nobody knew not the police, not the school I was going to, no one. As far as anyone in Elko knows, we are the Grangers from Portland, Oregon. (62) d. Joanne would not play Christine. His mother would not open the bookstore. Zach might not ever see Caitlin again (193).

2 e. Dear Caitlin We are no longer the Grangers and I am no longer called Zach. We are looking forward to getting out of here and starting our lives over again (209). 2. Another issue in this book is dealing with/ standing up to manipulation and bullying. Zach and his family are manipulated by these drug lords in order to try and keep themselves safe. Zach is manipulated/bullied by Peter Short, a kid that finds Zach s journal and uses that to blackmail Zach into breaking up with his girlfriend Caitlin. When Zach stood up for Caitlin after Peter pushed her, was he being a bully? Was he doing the right thing? How do you stand up to manipulation and bullying? a. We are very serious men. If you call the police or tell anyone about what happened this evening we will come back and kill you and your children. We will also kill your husband. You have my word on this. There is no place you can hide if you break my trust. I will find you wherever you go (13). b. Peter shoved her back and suddenly something snapped inside Zach. He wasn t exactly sure what happened next, but when it was over, Peter was on the floor and Zach was standing over him with clenched fists. There was a nasty looking red welt under Peter s left eye and Zach s right hand was throbbing (87). c. You re a terrible bluffer Jack. If you tell her, I ll tell everyone in this school who you are (168). d. What do you want? Zach thought Peter would ask him for money, but he surprised him. I want you to break up with Cat, he said. Call it a test. What am I supposed to say to her? I don t care what you say to her. All I know is that it better work. If I hear you walking to school with her, going up to the sheep camp, or anything else, everybody in town will know who you are (170). 3. Something else that could be discussed is getting involved with drugs or other illegal activities. There is a good basis for this kind of discussion because if the Neil Osborne (Zach s dad) had made the choice to maintain his integrity and earn an honest living, he wouldn t have put his family in such a difficult situation. When we decide to make haphazard decisions to do things we know are wrong, it will always effect those around us negatively. a. I liked what I was doing Jacko. The money was fabulous and I like Alonzo. We became friends. I guess I went a little crazy I had more money that I knew what to do with, but then I didn t want to leave That was part of the craziness, and with the exception of

3 Setting: what I did to you, the part I regret the most. I didn t think about the harm I was causing. I told myself that if I didn t fly for them, someone else would. My thinking was totally screwed up totally wrong (51). b. Dad really screwed things up for us, but I sure miss him (136). 4. Another minor issue that could be brought up is adjusting to new places and people and the best ways to do that. It is hard for Zach to get to know anyone at first because no one will talk to him and it is hard for him to take the first step to talk to someone else. a. I haven t gotten a single phone call since we moved here. I don t know what it is, but I can t seem to make myself talk to anyone at school. I think it has something to do with the fact that I can t tell them the truth about who I am (84). b. You re new here aren t you? Peter asked. Here was Zach s opportunity. Yes, I am. My name is Zachary Colin Granger. It is a great honor to meet you Peter. So what, Zach said instead (86). c. Dear Caitlin We are no longer the Grangers and I am no longer called Zach. We are looking forward to getting out of here and starting our lives over again (209). The majority of the story (parts two and three) take place in Elko, Nevada. The city s website is which would be helpful in helping the students grasp the great differences between Zach s former life and the life he now knows. The total population of Elko is currently about 16,000. There are references to the Basque people who are known as sheep herders that live up in the mountains (at least those who still practice their trade). There aren t too many clues as to where their home was before they moved. There are references to the Kennedy Space Center (in Orlando, FL) and Browning, Texas (where his father was being held by the police) so it could be assumed that they lived in a nice suburb of Texas somewhere. What the students would need to know before reading this book is dependent upon the kind of setting the students live in themselves. There is the possibility that some of the students might never have seen a different kind of setting. For example, if the students live

4 in a suburban neighborhood, it might be valuable to show scenic pictures of Elko. If the students live in a rural community, maybe show some pictures of a suburban area. Discuss different advantages and disadvantages of both. If you were Zach, would you have a hard time moving? Point of View: The book is written in a third person omniscient point of view, which switches back and forth between the perspectives of various characters. For the most part, the narrator focuses on Zach and what is happening to him, if we need additional information, he uses journal entries to let us read Zach s thoughts, or he will switch to the perspective and movements of a different character. Foreshadowing: 1. The Post card a. Is there a problem with sending a postcard to June to let her know the Grangers are safe? What is it? (There is the stamp on the postcard of where it was sent from). b. What can you predict will happen? 2. If you slip up and blow your cover, he told me, no matter how minor it might seem, I want you to tell you mother. This made me mad. Everyone things I am the one who is going to slip up. He said that from his experience people my age have a hard time grasping the fact that we and our families are in real danger. He couldn t remember how many times they ve had to relocate a family because a kid told a friend, girlfriend, or boyfriend who they really were (63). 3. Jacko, I m sorry I had to use your box. I didn t know where else to put this thing. I m also sorry you found this before I was ready. Whatever you do, don t read this journal! The information it contains will just get you into trouble. Above all else, keep the journal safe. I ll get in touch with you when I need it. Love, Dad (164). Resolution: Is there a resolution to the plot? Is it satisfying? There is somewhat of a resolution to the plot: we know that the family is safe, that Zach, his mother, and his sister are closer, and no one really seems to upset about having to move again. Is there something about that that just rubs you the wrong way? What is still left to be resolved? We never find out if the dad will be able to come live with the family ever again, if Zach and Cat will ever be reunited, and yes the bad guys are in jail, but there is still the

5 threat of others trying to get to and find his family. Arousing the curiosity about the resolution would be a good way to encourage students to read the sequel to this book, Jack s Run. Motivation: A character with an interesting motivation is Peter. I think in the end Peter realizes that he will never find love and acceptance from his parents, so he tries to find it in other places. This is why he tries to get Zach and Caitlin to break up, and why he wants to go live with his brother in California. His present situation isn t meeting his basic needs, so he tries to have those basic needs satisfied in other places. What could have changed Peter s attitude or relationships with those around him? It is also interesting to think about the motivation of Alonzo Alzar. Why couldn t he just leave the Grangers alone? He had interests to protect. He didn t want to be discovered by the police because he knew that the organization he was running would be cause for him to be thrown in jail. He was protecting himself by going after the Grangers. Conflict: There are arguably three different types of conflict within this story: Man vs. Man o Dad vs. Alonzo, Peter vs. Zach, Sam vs. Alonzo, Mom vs. Benjamin Bender, Zach vs. Wanda, Peter vs. Caitlin, etc. Man vs. Society o Zach vs. School, Dad vs. Drug Cartel, Dad vs. DEA, Peter (and family) vs. town of Elko, etc. Man vs. Himself o Peter vs. Himself, Zach vs. Himself, Sam vs. Himself, Dad vs. Himself Taking this into account, it might be valuable for students to do a kind of conflict map where they diagram all the different significant conflicts within the story. It might be an easy way for students to organize their thoughts graphically and make sense of all that is going on, and make connections between different characters and plot lines. The Central Question or Enduring Issue: One central question of the novel could be, What makes up our identity? Does who you are change based on your eye or hair color? Your name? These questions then bring up the issue of how to change. If we don t like how we are treated by others, or how we treat people ourselves, if we don t have friends, or mock others that don t, how can we change that attribute in ourselves? The answer isn t moving somewhere else and getting a new identity. The power to change who we are needs to be from the inside out.

6 Another central question of the novel could be, How do our bad decisions affect those around us? This would be an interesting subject to raise, because the students have had experiences with this issue because of their own decisions, or have felt the effects of bad decisions of those they love. This is an issue that could really hit home and motivate the students to be a little more reflective before they act.