In the Wild Light

In the Wild Light tells the story of a boy who comes to discover his potential to be a poet. How does the novel define the power, pain, and consolation of being an artist? Draw examples from Dr. Atkins’s advice, the poetry of Adélia Prado and Mary Oliver, and Cash’s interactions with his grandfather to support your analysis.

The theme of accepting death lies at the emotional core of the novel. Compare Cash’s discovery of his mother to his vigil over Papaw at the hospital and assess how Cash comes to terms with the reality of death. How does his perception of nature help him through his grief?

Penicillin and poetry: which is better at addressing the problems in the world? Use these two themes to explain how Cash and Delaney perceive the world.

Author Jeff Zentner often acknowledged during interviews after the novel’s publication his debt to the 1989 film Dead Poets Society. Watch the film and develop an analysis that compares and contrasts John Keating, the English teacher that Robin Williams plays, with Dr. Atkins.

In many ways, East Tennessee emerges as a character in its own right. Compare and contrast the two principal settings: Tennessee and Connecticut. Use Cash’s own epiphany when he at last sees the ocean and compares it to Pigeon River.

The novel explores the nature of YA relationships by juxtaposing Cash’s emerging emotions for the exotic Vi with his deep friendship with Delaney. What are the differences between these two relationships? How does his navigation of these two relationships reflect his growing maturity?

The adolescence of both Delaney and Cash are deeply impacted by the opioid crisis that faces Appalachia. Research this growing public health issue using the data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control. Using what Cash shares about life in Sawyer, assess why this drug has become a scourge in this part of the country.

The novel is told from the first-person perspective of Cash Pruitt. How might these same events be told differently from the perspective of Delaney Doyle? How would she see these events? How does she acclimate to life at Middleford? What drives her to make the journey to the hospital where Papaw is dying? Why does she chew on her thumbs? Why does she finally declare her feelings for Cash?