56 pages • 1 hour read
William StyronThe Confessions of Nat Turner
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1967A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Why do you think Nat planned this rebellion? Consider the multiple stories that Nat tells about his personal development and refer to at least three moments that seem to form his motivation for rebellion.
The Confessions of Nat Turner fades into and out of the present tense. Why does Styron avoid telling this narrative in a linear style? In other words, what is the role of memory in the novel?
Sexuality plays a significant role in Nat’s development. What does Nat learn from his desire? How does it shape, or disrupt, his worldview?
What are the different approaches to, or ideas about, slavery held by characters across this book? How do individuals like Nat, Benjamin Turner, and Reverend Eppes seek to justify their actions?
Religious figures appear across The Confessions of Nat Turner. What is the novel’s ultimate estimation of Christian religion? Select 3 to 5 demonstrative examples of the role of Christianity in antebellum Virginia.
Women appear across the text, but they play different roles in Nat’s imagination of the world. What is the role of the woman in this historical situation? How do race and gender work together to further complicate social roles?
Nature is important to Nat, both in helping him grow close to God and in helping him make sense of his plight. What is the relationship between nature and the divine in The Confessions of Nat Turner?
Nat’s story begins and end with a mysterious dream or vision. Why does his story include so many visions? Why is mystery (accepting it or rebelling against it) important to Nat as he faces death, and what does he ultimately conclude about the role of mystery?
How does Nat develop his sense of superiority over other black people? Does that attitude persist across the text?
Many pages of The Confessions of Nat Turner are devoted to Nat’s trial. What sense of justice governs antebellum Virginia, as portrayed in the novel? Where does justice fail, and where does it succeed?
Related Titles
By William Styron
