Characterization & Conflict in "The Follower" by Jack Gantos

What is the narrator's primary dilemma?

• He is a dangerous kid because he allows people to take advantage of him.

• He will do anything anyone wants him to do because he's a follower.

• He wants to go against anything his mom says because he doesn't like her.

• He is misunderstood because he just wants to play and have fun.

Which line of dialogue provides the best evidence that Scary Gary, the narrator's neighbor, is dangerous?

• "My mother said he was trouble the first time I met him."

• "I was different from Frankie but still, the first moment I saw him in pain, it occurred to me that I wanted to be in pain, too."

• "His brother Gary had rigged up an electric chair with a train transformer."

• "And because he stopped doing dumb things for Gary, I stopped doing dumb things for him."

Which sentence best describes the narrator's perception of Frankie Pagoda?

• "His name was Frankie Pagoda and he had just been catapulted across his yard like a human cannonball and landed badly in ours."

• "I was different from Frankie but still, the first moment I saw him in pain, it occurred to me that I wanted to be in pain, too."

• "You are a follower, not a leader," she said bluntly. "You are putty in the wrong hands."

• "You should not be friends with kids who are a danger to themselves and others."

Read the following excerpt from "The Follower":

"The first time Gary launched me, I hit a car. As I was in the air, I kept thinking, When you hit the ground, roll and tumble and it won't hurt so much. This is what I had learned from watching Roller Derby on TV. It was my favorite show and very violent, but the players always avoided massive debilitating and life-threatening injuries as long as they rolled and tumbled across the wooden track..."

Why does the author choose to include a reference to the roller derby?

• To inform that the narrator watches a lot of television.

• To persuade the reader to watch roller derby.

• To express his interest in violent television shows.

• To show that what the narrator is doing is dangerous.

Read the following excerpt from "The Follower":

"...he tied the rope to the top of the tree and Gary tied the other end to the winch on Mr. Pagoda's tow truck. He winched the tip of the tree all the way down so it made a big spring and then Frankie held on like a Koala bear while Gary cut the rope with a machete. Frankie was launched like the stones the Romans flung at the Vandals."

• - CHOOSE 2 ANSWERS -

The author uses a simile to convey -

• how hard Frankie was launched.

• why Frankie was launched.

• the way he looked on the tree.

• why Gary is so mean to his brother.

1. Why does the narrator follow Frankie Pagoda?

• He is an only child and gets bored easily.

• He is fascinated by Frankie's stunts.

• He is annoyed with his mom.

• He is tired of being a good kid.

Read the excerpt below from "The Follower" -

"She pointed a red finger at my chest. "You are a follower, not a leader," she said bluntly. "You are putty in the wrong hands. Don't get me wrong. You're a nice kid, but you are most definitely a follower."

How does the narrator's mom's advice affect the narrator's internal conflict?

• It portrays the mom as controlling of her son.

• It expresses that the narrator should stay at home.

• It shows that the narrator has a bad mom.

• It suggests that the narrator can't think for himself.

1. What detail is left unresolved at the end of the short story?

• We wonder if the mom grounded the narrator.

• The narrator doesn't know the whereabouts of Gary.

• The story has an open ending.

• Whether the narrator and Frankie remained friends.

1. The author establishes conflict in the paragraph below. 

The next day my mother did the laundry. She came to me with my pants, which were singed with the same wire pattern. "You don't have to tell me how this happened," she said. "You just have to stop. Whatever drives you to do this stuff is a sickness. So I'm grounding you for a while until you start displaying some sense."

2. What is being described?

• That the narrator forgot to "hide the evidence" from his mother.

• The narrator gets grounded because he lied to his mother.

• The narrator's mother confronts him about his dangerous choices.

• The narrator's mother is a bad mom for limiting her son's creativity.

How are the last 3 paragraphs important to the development of the plot in "The Follower"?

• The narrator's mother shouldn't have been so strict with her son.

• The narrator didn't learn a lesson because he still hung out with Frankie.

• The narrator was bored without Gary while he was away.

• The narrator's mother was right about Gary and his brother.