Fact: Students love to argue. If you say, "The green light in The Great Gatsby symbolizes longing," you will undoubtedly be met with "Or maybe it's just a green light!" In a political/cultural book such as this, there will likely be reactionary students (perhaps boys) and their reactions might be... unsavory.

There is the possibility of both sexism and homophobia to emerge in class discussions, and those topics might even make some parents uncomfortable. Woolf was one of the first to openly admit that British society tacitly allowed mild homosexual relationships—which is not something every student will understand or tolerate. Add to that the fact that this book-length essay is not exactly entertaining, and you have definite teaching challenges. Fortunately, its controversial nature allows for very cool possibilities.