91 pages • 3 hours read
Neal ShustermanChallenger Deep
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Neal Shusterman wrote Challenger Deep after his son Brendan was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. How do you think his relationship with Brendan shaped the writing of the book?
Why do you think the author occasionally switches from first person point of view to second?
Who do you believe has more influence over Caden: the Captain or the Parrot? Give your reasons.
Discuss the role of victimhood in the novel. How does identifying as a victim of forces beyond his control both empower and disempower Caden at different points in the story?
Callie and Calliope are both presented as figures of comfort for Caden. How do they provide solace to him, both in the hospital and on the ship?
What do the Captain and the Parrot symbolize? Why are they trying to destroy each other? Why do they try to enlist Caden’s help with their fight?
What does the Abyssal Serpent represent? Why is it something that Caden knows he can never fully conquer?
Think about Skye’s puzzle piece and what it represents. How does it help Caden ascend from the bottom of the trench? How does its meaning change over the course of the story?
Caden and Callie both describe themselves as broken. Is their assessment accurate or inaccurate? In what ways is acknowledging “brokenness” helpful, and when does it become unhelpful?
Do you have to have a mental illness in order to empathize with someone who does? How did Caden’s experience make you more empathic toward those who experience mental illness? What have you learned?
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