Misery

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Several barriers prevent Paul from escaping Annie.

• What physical and emotional dependencies does Annie take advantage of to keep Paul in captivity? (topic sentence)
• Describe three specific dependencies that keep Paul in Annie’s house despite his desire to escape. Explain what makes each one effective.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the novel’s theme of Confinement and Captivity relates to Annie’s ability to achieve what she wants.

2. Stephen King made the choice to include excerpts from Paul’s manuscript for Misery’s Return in the novel.

• What is the overall purpose of the excerpts from Misery’s Return in King’s novel? (topic sentence)
• Discuss how the Misery’s Return excerpts potentially impact readers. What feelings might they evoke in readers, and why?
• In your concluding sentences, explain how Misery’s Return relates to the novel’s theme of The Writing Process.

3. King titles the four parts of the book “Annie,” “Misery,” “Paul,” and “Goddess.”

• Why might King have decided to give titles to the four parts of the story? (topic sentence)
• Explain how each of the four titles is appropriate for its section of the novel.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the four titles work together to inform the reader about King’s intended purpose.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Describe Annie Wilke’s role in the novel. How does Stephen King make Annie into a villain? Compose a well-structured essay response that addresses this topic. You may want to consider these questions: What is Annie’s psychological condition? How is Annie’s behavior seemingly contradictory at times? How does Annie use her medical knowledge to take advantage of her victims? What is it about Annie that prevents her from being brought up on charges for her crimes? What is Annie’s relationship with Paul, and how does it change in the novel?

2. In the novel, Paul is pleased to write about something other than Misery and chooses to write a book called Fast Cars. Explain how the novel may relate to Stephen King’s own experiences with fans, writing genres, and the writing process. How might Paul reflect King’s feelings about some of his fans? What does Paul’s experience indicate about King’s writing style? What might someone conclude about King’s willingness to write outside the horror genre?

3. At the conclusion of Part 3, Paul reveals his scheme to deal with Annie for good. Why does Paul decide to get rid of Annie the way he does? How does the way that he kills her represent a kind of poetic justice? Compose an essay response that addresses this topic. You may want to consider these questions as well: Why doesn’t Paul call out to the two police officers when he first has the chance? In what way does Annie ultimately benefit Paul?