The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Homer P. Figg is a rogue hero: a complex main character that readers find engaging and loveable despite his moral imperfections. How does Philbrick use indirect characterization to show the reader both Homer’s moral flaws and his charms?

• How do the elements of Homer’s narrative voice reveal both sides of Homer’s character?
• How do Homer’s actions reveal both sides of his character?
• How do other characters’ reactions to Homer help the reader understand both sides of his character?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt gives students a chance to demonstrate their understanding of both the novel and the picaresque hero. Each of the bulleted sub-questions asks students to practice analyzing a different element of indirect characterization. If necessary, you can customize this prompt to the time you have available and your students’ ability by eliminating one or more of these. You might also choose to break students into groups and assign different sub-questions to different groups, asking them to later pool their conclusions in a whole-class discussion. If your students are ready for a bit more of a challenge, you might follow up on the discussion of Homer as a rogue hero by asking students how it might impact the novel’s meaning if Philbrick had chosen to make Homer a more typically “perfect” hero.