Return to Sender

Authors employ foreshadowing to provide readers with plot hints or parallels to upcoming events, resulting in a cohesive plot with logical connections. In Return to Sender, for example, Ofie’s and Luby’s overreliance on American customs and use of English (and Papá’s insistence that they speak Spanish more consistently at home) foreshadows their challenging move to Mexico at the novel’s end. What other events in the book foreshadow later plot points? Choose three paired events to discuss, using book evidence to detail how foreshadowing creates a larger sense of connection in the plot.

The author’s use of point of view clearly indicates the character from whose perspective readers view the narrative in any given chapter section. Point of view also helps to indirectly characterize. What traits do readers see in Mari from the way she tells the story, including her wording and phrasing? Compose a list of three to five descriptors or traits for Mari as shown in her storytelling voice, and find specific examples to support each one.

Both Tyler’s and Mari’s actions and words show that they have matured over the course of the year. What are three events (each) that contribute strongly to their coming-of-age experiences? Cite scenes at the novel’s beginning, middle, and end that demonstrate each characters’ maturation.

Authors often weave historical events into fiction. How does the author incorporate historical elements and real-world social issues into this story? Use valid, scholarly websites to determine who was president of the United States in the time period of the book, and whether that administration’s stances and policies “match” the events of the novel. Discuss three to five historical details from the text to support your response.

Readers find figurative language and imagery throughout the novel, but those literary devices are employed particularly effectively in discussions of the farm and in Tyler’s and Mari’s memories. Return to passages of farm description or memories and locate examples of metaphor, sensory imagery, and other figurative language. Explain how your examples contribute to the atmosphere of the scene in which they appear and to characterization.

Mari prompts change both directly and indirectly in Tyler. List the ways in which Mari’s optimism, goals, and reactions inspire change in him. Use evidence from the book in your response.

The plot of Return to Sender occurs over the course of a year, from summer 2005 to summer 2006. How are seasonal events important to the narrative? What plot points rely on the changing of the seasons? How does Tyler’s and eventually Mari’s love of the farm highlight these seasonal changes and the flow of the year? Support your ideas with evidence from the novel.

One of Mari’s strongest traits is her hopefulness. Find and discuss two to three scenes in which a character other than Mari or Tyler exhibits this quality, and note the impact their hopefulness has on surrounding characters.