The Littles — Chapter 2

Narration Prompt

Summarize the chapter's narrative arc and central premise, then identify the philosophical or economic tension the chapter quietly raises and evaluate whether Peterson handles it honestly.

Discussion Questions

1. Chapter 2 functions as both exposition (introducing the full family) and rising action (establishing the threat of the Newcombs). Peterson is doing double work, and the chapter feels unified rather than scattered. Analyze the craft architecture that allows this. What does Peterson prioritize, and what does he subordinate?
2. The chapter contains a small but ethically significant admission — Granny's casual mention that the Littles took Henry Big's old socks for yarn. Peterson presents this without moral commentary. Is the authorial silence a legitimate refusal to moralize, an evasion of a question the chapter raises, or a symptom of 1967 children's-fiction conventions that declined to examine comfortable premises?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide