Killing Floor

In literature and other art forms, no depiction of violence exists for its own sake. Raymond Chandler even argues that for a detective novel to be successful, the murder has to happen for a reason other than just having a dead body in the story. Select one significant scene of violence in the novel and examine it stylistically and thematically: how does Child construct the scene itself and Reacher’s action within it, and what role does this play within the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.

Jack Reacher as a literary character is often linked to westerns, detective stories, and knights-errant in academic interpretations of the series. In a thoughtful essay, select a hero from a work of “classic” literature that you are already familiar with, and explore that hero’s journey and characterization in comparison to (or in contrast with) Reacher’s own.

Several characters in the novel, like Roscoe and Finlay, are only referred to by their last names, while others are never given an individual name. For example, Kliner’s son is only identifiable by his relationship to his father, rather than existing independently via something as simple as a different first name. Examine the significance of naming in Killing Floor and how knowledge of someone’s full or true name creates different degrees of relationships between the characters.

When Reacher travels, he pays in cash and uses a fake name because it makes him feel like he is “beating the system.” What system do you believe he refers to, and how does his effort to stay anonymous create conflict in the novel?

Some scenes in the novel place great emphasis on a character seeing, watching, or surveilling someone else. How does the constant feeling of being watched contribute to Reacher’s sense that something is wrong in Margrave? How might surveillance intersect with Reacher’s lessons about power and control? How does the role of surveillance impact the narrative perspective and the characters’ perspective in the novel?

The most compelling characters in literature are the ones who manage to surprise the reader, even as the story draws to a close. In a thoughtful essay, select a character from Killing Floor who surprised you at a crucial point in the plot, and examine how that surprise contributes to the novel’s significant themes.

Despite the novel’s plot centering on the death of Reacher’s older brother, the reader does not see many scenes of emotional introspection in the narrative. How does Reacher experience an intense feeling like grief, and how does his response to that feeling move the plot forward? Avoid mere summary.

Child’s female characters are known for defying traditional damsel-in-distress stereotypes common in detective fiction, westerns, and even chivalric romance. While Roscoe is the obvious example, Charlene Hubble and the barber’s sister are also worth discussing as examples of different versions of femininity, and the different ways that women in genre fiction find strength. In a thoughtful essay, explore how Charlene or the sister defy the reader’s expectations for the genre, and how their true selves are significant to the work as a whole.