By the Great Horn Spoon!

After Praiseworthy loses his bowler hat to a gust of wind, he doesn’t feel “quite himself” for several days. Why is this? How does Jack feel about the loss of Praiseworthy’s hat—and later his coat—and why?

Praiseworthy and Arabella seem to have been in love for some time, perhaps years. What has kept them from marrying? What has changed by the end of the novel that allows them to share their feelings for each other?

Praiseworthy feels a bit ashamed that he’s become a local legend for knocking out a highwayman with one punch. What is it about his action that embarrasses him? How does he seek to make amends for it?

Arabella describes her family home in Boston as a “curse.” What does she mean by this? How do her feelings for Praiseworthy affect her feelings about the house?

Nicknames are important in the story. Discuss how nicknames affect how one is viewed by others, and how they feel about themselves.

Jack sometimes feels depths of “loneliness” that even his Aunt Arabella and his sisters can’t fill. What is the main reason for this? How does he try to address this feeling?

Loyalty and knowledge often prove far more crucial to the story’s outcome than dishonesty or strength. Discuss a few examples of this.

Jack and Praiseworthy tackle numerous minor problems on their way to solving the main one of striking gold. Some examples include shoveling coal to pay off their fare on the Lady Wilma, saving Mr. Azariah Jones’s potatoes and Monsieur Gaunt’s grapevines, selling the bowties that Jack accidentally won at an auction, and saving Cut-Eye Higgins from the noose. Many of these events have echoes later in the novel. Discuss how some of these problems help or inspire the heroes in solving later problems, including major ones.