Coraline

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Coraline has two settings, one in the real world and one in the “other” world—the world where the beldam exists.

• How are Coraline’s experiences in the real world and in the other world alike and different? (topic sentence)
• Compare Coraline’s life in the real world with her life in the other world. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each world.
• In your concluding sentences, explain why Coraline did not stay in the other world on her first visit.

2. The cat compares the other mother’s world to a spider’s web.

• In what ways is the other mother similar to a spider? (topic sentence)
• Describe how the other mother’s behavior is like a spider, how her physical features might resemble a spider's, and how her dwelling is like a spider’s web.
• In your concluding sentences, explain whether you believe the cat’s assertion is an accurate depiction of the other mother.

3. Caroline encounters ghost children who have been trapped in the other world by the other mother.

• What is the role of the ghost children in the novel? (topic sentence)
• What do the ghost children tell Caroline concerning: their purpose in the other mother’s trap, why they are still with the other mother, and what their appearance at the picnic suggests about their life both before and after their escape from the other mother?
• In your concluding sentences, explain where/how you believe the other mother met and entrapped the three ghost children and how they, like Coraline, were vulnerable to the other mother’s trap.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Coraline is a picky eater and dislikes much of her parents’ cooking. How does food play a role in the book? What foods does Coraline choose to feed herself? How does the other mother use food to manipulate Coraline? Why does Coraline choose to bring her own food from home instead of eating the other mother’s food? Why do you think Coraline dislikes the food her parents make? How is Coraline’s food choice connected to the novel’s theme of The Drawbacks of Always Getting What You Want?

2. The cat helps Caroline in the story, but it also maintains some distance from the main conflict unless it is forced to act. Why do you believe the cat did not want to get involved? Why is the cat able to pass through the two worlds when other creatures, such as the mice, do not seem to be able to? Why does the cat leave Coraline’s house before Caroline wakes after defeating the beldam? Do you think the cat forgave Coraline for using it to attack the other mother? Why or why not?

3. The other mother creates a fantastic new life to offer Coraline. How does the other mother use neighbors to entice Coraline to stay in the other world? Do you think the neighbors were willing participants in her scheme? How are the neighbors, like the rest of the other world, improved versions of themselves? How are they worse versions of themselves?