Good Night, Mr. Tom Essay Questions

How does Willie's arrival change Tom?

The presence of Willie provokes Tom to finally start working through his grief over the death of his family. Before Willie arrived, it had been like Tom was frozen in the past, unable to move forward with his life because of his stagnant emotions. Tom was afraid to love and participate in social life because any sort of relationships would evoke painful memories. This resulted in Tom becoming a hermit, oftentimes refusing to participate in community efforts, such as wartime preparations. With Willie there, however, Tom is pushed to finally step out of his comfort zone and routines in order to be responsible for someone other than himself. At first, Tom is worried about becoming "attached" to the boy, fearing to again experience loss. But gradually Tom comes out of his shell, doing things like building a bomb shelter in his yard, playing the organ for the men's choir, and hosting a birthday party at his home. In this sense, Willie is the catalyst for Tom to start having trust in life again. Furthermore, Will becomes Tom's son, allowing Tom to finally be the father that he had always wanted to be.

What does this story teach us about wartime England and its impact on the British people?

Michelle Magorian cleverly uses historical events as major plot devices throughout the novel, such as Willie being evacuated to Weirwold to escape the constant threat of bombing raids in London. Throughout the book, we see characters doing various tasks meant to prepare for the war, like putting up blackout curtains and building Anderson shelters. There are also many instances of sudden news related to deaths and disappearances of loved ones in the war, such as Zach or the husband of Annie Hartridge. Thus, this setting teaches us how for the British people, the war was a time of great unpredictably, requiring constant vigilance. We can see that even when Tom and the boys vacation to the idyllic seaside town, it is impossible to completely relax, as there is always the threat of attack looming in the distance. At the same time, we are shown how these extraordinary circumstances helped to bring people together and create a greater sense of community. For instance, Willie first meets his friends George and Zach through working on constructing a bomb shelter together. It is a time when people must make sacrifices for the greater good.

How does this book approach the discussion of nature versus nurture when it comes to raising children?

Willie is brutally abused by his mother and brought up to believe that he has no good qualities or talents and that everyone dislikes him. As he is bullied at school there is nothing in his life to contradict what she tells him. If Willie had stayed in that setting he would most likely have never finished school and gone through his adult life illiterate, friendless, and lacking self-esteem. Through living with Tom Oakley, Willie learns that he is not an inherently unlikeable person after all. He is easily able to form strong connections with others. He also attends a school with caring educators who take the time to observe him and encourage him to learn how to read without making him feel stupid or worthless. This love and encouragement also gives him the confidence to try new things such as acting and singing in the choir, proving himself to have a great deal of talent. Thus, Magorian shows that both "nature" and "nurture" play a role in shaping a person. Willie does have certain natural traits and skills—such as drawing—that were laying dormant while in the hostile environment of London. It is Willie's loving home life and community in Weirwold which allow these skills to emerge and give him the space to blossom into his true self.

Carrie's mother is reluctant to let her daughter attend high school. Why? What role of women is she perpetuating?

In the period that the book is set, women are still for the most part confined to homemaking and non-leadership roles, especially in a small rural village like Weirwold. When Carrie is accepted into the prestigious high school in town, it marks a departure from the traditional role and activities for a young girl in the view of Carrie's mother. Carrie's mother resents that her daughter is often studying or reading books because she feels that it is "idle" and that her time could be better spent doing household chores. This new opportunity for Carrie threatens her mother, who still clings onto a certain idea of how women should be. In her own way, she wants the best for her daughter and worries that by focusing all her energy in school, she will never learn how to be a proper domestic woman and wife. The high school also represents a potential for Carrie to enter a new, more wealthy social milieu, one that is a far cry from the country lifestyle. Any parent desires to shape their child in their own image, which is taken to extreme levels in the case of Willie's mother, and one of the main messages of the book is the importance in giving children freedom to discover themselves and follow their dreams.

Do you believe there is an antagonist to the story? If so, who and why?

In one sense, the obvious answer would be that the antagonist to the story is Willie's mother, as she is the abusive parent who has shaped Willie into such a frightened, insecure boy. Yet, the way she is portrayed by Magorian makes it hard to cast her in such a two-dimensional way. We can infer that Willie's mother has most likely endured the same type of violence that she is now perpetuating towards her son. She knows nothing else. This does not excuse her actions, but ultimately we are made to see the importance of having compassion for others. As Tom points out to Willie, his mother is a very ill person, who ultimately ends up taking her own life. Even Willie, after everything he has experienced, returns home to his mother in the spirit of forgiveness and compassion, offering her his artwork and kind gestures. Although she flatly rejects it and ends up abusing Willie in a horrible way, Willie never becomes vengeful or bitter towards what has happened to him.