Finders Keepers

Research the “hard-boiled detective” archetype. In what ways does Hodges fit this archetype? In what ways does he differ?

How does King’s use of the shifting, third-person limited point of view build suspense in the text? How might the novel be different with only one character’s perspective?

In what ways does King use taboo subjects like violence, antigay bias, and sexual assault in the novel? What purpose do they serve in the text? Use examples from the text in your analysis.

Closely reread and analyze the scene in which Morris dies (406-07). What symbolism is present? What themes does that symbolism illustrate? What larger point is King making with this scene?

How does King characterize Morris? In what ways, if any, does the text humanize him or portray him as sympathetic? In what ways does the text establish him as the villain?

Compare and contrast the characters of Pete and Morris, paying particular attention to their ideas on literature. In what ways does King critique Morris’s approach to books? In what ways does he suggest approval of Pete’s approach?

Is Pete correct to worry about his similarities to Morris at the end of the novel? Why or why not? Use examples from the text in your analysis.

Read Stephen King’s Misery. Identify and discuss one theme that it shares with Finders Keepers. How do the two novels’ treatments of the theme differ? How are they similar?