Teaching Tuck Everlasting

Instructions for You

Objective: From the Ferris wheel in the prologue to the word "rolling" in the final paragraph, this book is just bubbling with references to roundness. Working individually, in groups, and as a class, students will synthesize these references to help them understand the concept of symbolism, learn how to find the larger ideas packed into words and images, and identify the text's theme. This assignment will probably take two class periods: one to find all the roundness-related words, and another to figure out their related meanings and discuss symbolism and themes.

Materials Needed: Copies of Tuck Everlasting, one per student

Step 1: Before jumping right into the text, throw out a few questions to help students warm up their "roundness receptors":

• What kinds of things go in a circle, including invisible or imaginary circles?
• Consider roundness. What is it? What's it "made of"? What's the point of it?
• What isn't roundness? What will you never find in a ball, for instance?

Then, go around the room, having everyone share one piece of insight about roundness with the class.

Step 2: Once students have done a little brainstorming, it's time to take it to the text. Divide up the book so that every student has a chapter (or page range) to read. Ask the students to read carefully, looking for anything to do with roundness—not just spheres and discs, but also words like curves and arc (1.1). This should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the abilities of your students.

Step 3: When everyone's finished, organize students into small groups. Ask the students within each group to compare their lists and decide what their roundness words have in common.

They might look a little flummoxed. Remind them that the narrator says that a connection might not be obvious, but "things can come together in strange ways. […] All wheels must have a hub. A Ferris wheel has one, as the sun is the hub of the wheeling calendar" (Prologue.6).

Step 4: As groups share their findings with the class, ask the students if they're seeing any connections between groups. Remind them that it's easier to link all these roundness references if they pay attention to the bigger ideas related to each word. The word clock, for instance, is connected to the ideas of time, cycles, and aging. Point out that this sort of clue-analysis is the way to find the treasure: the theme. The theme is the message or moral of the book—basically, what readers should take away from the story.

So… what's the theme of Tuck Everlasting? There's a clue in the title: everlasting, which means "unending" or "infinite." Once the students are on to that concept, ask them questions to trigger discussions and expound on the theme.

• What is the author trying to say about "unendingness"? Does it only have to do with life, or repetition?
• Would you really like to ride on a nonstop Ferris wheel? Why not?
• What is this book really about: immortality, or stagnation?

For some additional discussion-starter questions on this topic, you might also want to check out this Shmoop page about the theme of time in the novel. 

Lead the kids to the realization that, through multiple references to roundness, Babbit is trying to demonstrate that humans need to progress. To move forward. The Tucks, poor things, are stuck on an endless Ferris wheel. It's not just that they don't age; it's that they don't change. The position, the course, and the view are always the same, as if they are stuck running in an endless circle. Eek. Makes you appreciate the (finite) circle of life, eh?

Instructions for Your Students

From the Ferris wheel in the prologue to the word "rolling" in the final paragraph, this book is just bubbling with references to roundness. When similar things or ideas pop up over and over again in a story, you can bet they're all trying to tell you something. What are all these spherical, circular things? What message is hidden here? Let's do some digging, shall we?

Step 1: Before jumping right into the text, let's warm up our "roundness receptors" first. Take a look at the following questions and jot down some ideas:

• What kinds of things go in a circle, including invisible or imaginary circles?
• Consider roundness. What is it? What's it "made of"? What's the point of it?
• What isn't roundness? What will you never find in a ball, for instance?

When you've got some good ideas on paper, we'll go around the room, having everyone share one piece of insight about roundness with the class.

Step 2: Now that you're tuned into roundness, it's time to take it to the text. Your teacher will ask each of you to read a chapter, looking for words that have anything to do with roundness—not just round like a ball or a plate, either. Think outside the box—literally. You'll be surprised what pops out when you're just looking for the idea of roundness, so keep your eyes and mind open as you read, and write those words down. This should take about 15-20 minutes, max.

Step 3: When everyone's finished, your teacher will organize you into small groups. Compare your list with the others in your group and decide what your roundness words have in common.

…Don't give us that look—you can do this. As our narrator says in the prologue, you might not think there's a connection, but "things can come together in strange ways. […] All wheels must have a hub. A Ferris wheel has one, as the sun is the hub of the wheeling calendar" (Prologue.6).

When an author repeats similar image several times close together, he or she is telling you something very important. Remember, everything has more than one meaning. Nothing is ever just what it seems to be.

Step 4: Once you've figured out what all those roundness references have in common, each group will share their thoughts with the class. Do you see a common idea emerging from the different groups? It's easier if you look at the bigger ideas related to each word. The word clock, for instance, is connected to the ideas of time, cycles, and aging.

Can you spot a Grand Uniting Idea that connects all of them? The Big Fat Message for All People at All Times? Academically speaking, that's called the theme—basically, what readers should take away from the story.

So… what's the theme of Tuck Everlasting? There's a clue in the title: everlasting, which means "unending" or "infinite." Let's consider that for a moment:

• What is the author trying to say about "unendingness"? Does it only have to do with life, or repetition?
• Would you really like to ride on a nonstop Ferris wheel? Why not?
• What is this book really about: immortality, or stagnation?

For some more interesting discussion-starter questions on this topic, you might also want to check out this Shmoop page about the theme of time in the novel.

So it appears that, through multiple references to roundness, Babbit is trying to demonstrate that humans need to progress. To move forward. The Tucks, poor things, are stuck on an endless Ferris wheel. It's not just that they don't age; it's that they don't change. The position, the course, and the view are always the same, as if they are stuck running in an endless circle. Eek. Makes you appreciate the (finite) circle of life, eh?