logo

40 pages 1 hour read

Karen Cushman

The Midwife's Apprentice

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1995

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

How do the details Cushman includes regarding midwifery during medieval times impact the experience of reading the story?

2.

One of the book’s major themes is The Power of Kindness. Choose three acts of kindness offered from one character to another, and explore how the story would have been different if the offering character hadn’t chosen kindness. Support your answer with evidence from the text.

3.

Compare and contrast Alyce and Jane as characters. What do they have in common? How are they different?

4.

Discuss the significance of the names in the novel, considering the names Alyce gives herself, the cat, and Edward. How does having a name change each character? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

5.

What is the significance of Chapter 7, in which Alyce tricks the villagers regarding the devil? What is her goal? Does she achieve it?

6.

Cushman’s novels are known for their strong female characters who overcome obstacles to find who they are. Analyze Alyce’s character and how she grows. What are the three greatest obstacles Alyce faces along her journey, and how does each help her overcome something to move forward? Do these events intertwine?

7.

In Chapter 12, the magister asks Alyce what she wants. Does Alyce’s answer track with her character development in previous chapters? Why or why not?

8.

How do Cushman’s diction and dialogue choices contribute to the novel’s atmosphere and setting? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

9.

In Chapter 5, Alyce’s character arc is jumpstarted by the merchant telling her she’s beautiful. What does this moment say about how others help a person grow and change?

10.

Why is it significant that the inn’s sign depicts an orange cat with cheese? How does this relate to Alyce’s—and the cat’s—place in the world?

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text