This novel is classifiable as a bildungsroman. This said, are there any ways in which King breaks the mold of the bildungsroman? What purpose do those departures from the genre serve?

For Tecumseh, much of Monroe’s artwork is arcane. One of Monroe’s more peculiar installations features a kite painted blue and titled “Teaching the Sky About Blue” and a platform painted green called “Teaching the Grass About Green” (43; 49). How do these installations fit in with the overall project of Monroe’s art?

King’s engagement with oral storytelling traditions results in many shorter chapters that punctuate the main narrative and give information about the history of Truth and Bright Water and the people in it (for example, Chapters 5 and 19). Choose one of these “interlude” chapters and discuss its placement in the arc of the novel. Why does it appear here? How would it change the novel if it appeared elsewhere?