Jonny Appleseed

Within individual chapters, how does the nested or elliptical plot structure work to evoke oral storytelling practices?

What tensions does Jonny feel between his Indigenous heritage and his queer identity? How does he resolve those tensions?

How does the first-person point of view lend immediacy to the narration? How would this book be different if it were told from the second-person or third-person point of view?

How does the relationship between Jonny and Tias evolve over the course of the novel? What major plot events affect it?

Why does Whitehead choose the inciting incident of Roger's death to begin the novel? What is the significance of his death to Jonny?

Compare and contrast the imagery and description used in the setting of Winnipeg compared to the setting of Peguis.

How does Whitehead's choice of diction for his narrator contribute to Jonny's characterization? What is unique or idiosyncratic about Jonny’s voice?

Describe how Jonny's moves and Whitehead's plot choices resist the settler gaze and white hegemony.