Plot by Jackson Bennett

Upon reading the Novel "The House of the Scorpion", we are informed of the hardship that a little boy named Matt must go through because of his status. While being a harvested clone, life ins't easy for young Matt.

We start out with six year old Matt at his home in the middle of the poppy fields. He is accompanied by Celia who acts like his mother but is not really. She has to go to work everyday at the big house so Matt is left home alone with absolutely no way of getting out because Celia has decided to nail all the windows shut and lock the door. One day, Matt hears people coming closer to the house outside. We find out that these people are Maria, Emilia and Steven trying to figure out who is in that little shed in the middle of the poppy fields. Matt, a clueless yet curious infant, wants really hard to talk to these people so he decides to take frying pan from the kitchen, smash the window, climb out and finally be able to talk to somebody besides Celia. Little did Matt know, glass had covered the ground outside so jumping out the window would severely cut your feet. Matt blindly jumped out the window to greet his new visitors and severely cut his feet and hands. Matt was then carried all the way to the Alacran Estate by Emilia and Steven with little Maria following behind. This estate owned by El Patron, a rich, old man. As Matt is being treated by the doctor, they notice the marking on Matt's foot notifying them that Matt is a clone. The doctor and everyone else, except Maria, is shocked and disgraced that they let this "thing" into their home. They then willingly throw Matt out on the lawn like a piece of garbage later to be taken away by one of the evil maids Rosa. Matt is taken to one of the prison cells and treated like a rat.

After months trapped in the cell, Matt encounters an evil little boy named Tom who sometimes comes to shoot Matt with his bb gun though the window. He is also visited by Maria, who has taken a liking to him.
After a few more months trapped in the prison, Matt grows up a little, and is finally released from the prison because of El Patron. He discovers Matt, his clone, is being held captive in terrible conditions so he immediately takes him out of there. After being saved from the tortures of Rosa, Matt is given a proper home in one of the homes in the estate with Celia. From there, Matt goes to school, learns piano,

After many years at not only the Alacran Estate but other places in Opium, Matt grows up, meets new people, goes through a lot of hardship and learns many things about life. For example, he meets Tam Lin (his body guard), El Patron, Chacho, Fidelito, Ton-Ton, and many others. His obstacles in life teach him new things about people and things that he didn't know about in the Alacran Estate. For example, Matt discovers what eejits are after his adventures to the oasis with Tam Lin or when Matt escapes from the evil Keepers at the plankton with Chacho, Ton-Ton and Fidelito.

The climax of the story is the death of El Patron. This event teaches Matt that El Patron only made Matt so that he could have another heart transplants. El Patron couldn't use Matt's heart for a transplant because of a drug Celia injected Matt with to make his heart unstable for a transplant. This shocks Matt and he flees from Opium.

The entire story is a roller-coaster of ups and downs for Matt but at the things turn out not so bad for Matt. With El Patron dead, and with Opium not being run by anyone, Matt is instructed by Maria's Mother to inherit El Patron's life. With all these things running though his mind, Matt decides to take over Opium so he can restore order and make it a better place for everyone.

Questions:
1. What was your favourite part in the book? Why?
2. What was you least favourite part in the book? Why?
3. What happened to Rosa after she was relieved of her duty of "taking care" of Matt?
4. How did El Patron die?
5. What happened to Mr. Alacran, Tam Lin, Tom, Steven, and all the other members of the Alacran Estate?
6. What does the scorpion represent?
7. How did Matt and Chacho escape the boneyards?
8. Why did Matt come in to save Fidelito before he was about to get beat but didn't step in for Ton-Ton?
9. Why did Matt feel a feeling of sadness in his heart when El Patron died even after El Patron betrayed him?
10. What did Maria and Matt try to do to escape to San Luis?

In my opinion, the theme in the novel "The House of the Scorpion," would be that where you come from and how different you are should make no difference to anyone. Also that the people who dont accept you for who you are arent worth trying to please because its the people who accept you for your flaws and abilitys who are worthy of the title friend.For example when Matt was found in the field, Tom, Emilia, and Maria were interested in who he was but when they found out he was different the only personb to stick around and be a true friend.





1. Why was Maria the only person to stay friends with Matt after everyone found out he was different?
2. Why did El Patron not care that matt was different?
3.What made MAtt so different from everyone else?
4.Why did nobody treat matt the way they treated El Patron?
5.What did El Patron treat everyone like no matter who they were ( Once you work for El Patron you become his ________ ) ?
6.Why did Matt follow Maria to Saint Luis?
7.Why did Matt despise Tom most of all?
8.What reaction did Chacho and Felipe have to Matts confession?
9.When the Keepers brought Matt into the orphanage why did he try so hard to keep his identity a secret?
10.Why did Celia take Matt in as her own?

In the novel " The House of the Scorpion " there are many different settings throughout the book. the first setting is Matt's home he had grown up in, the little house in the poppy fields. A couple chapters later, Matt is carried to the Alacran Estate in which a large chunk of the novel takes place. While Matt is in the Alacran Estate he visits other places such as a hidden oasis and the eejit pens located near the waste dump site. After many chapters, Matt is forced to flee Opium to avoid death and travels to Altzan. as Matt comes up to the border he sees a totally different world in front of his eyes. He is taken in, then put to work until he is supposed to leave. when Matt arrives he is placed inside a plankton factory in which is dark, dirty and harsh. after several chapters Matt and his friend Chacho are put into the Bone Pit, in which lie the remains of whales, and left alone. They escape and make it to the Convent of Santa Clara where Matt can finally relax. The final setting of the book is the Alacran Estate once again, except this time when Matt arrives its a gloomy and very quiet to what he remembered it to be.

Setting Questions:


1. Why do you think the author chose a small house in the poppy fields to begin the novel?

2. How does Matt react when he is getting carried into the mansion?

3. why is Matt thrown into a jail like room?

4. Matt is taken out of the jail like room and given a proper room, Why?

5. Where does Tam Lin take Matt? Why?

6. How do the children describe the hospital?

7. where is Matt when everyone in the house is searching for him?

8. How does Matt describe what he sees as hes hiking?

9. Where is Matt and Chacho placed for staring a little riot?

10. What is the festival in the city they arrive in for?


Jason Boulanger


 

Character questions

In the Story The house of the scorpion, there is a main character, Matt. But he is not the real Matteo Alacran, he is his clone. Treated different from everyone else, he only has a few friends, Celia, Tam Lin, Chacho, Fedilito, Maria, Tom Tom and the real Matteo Alacran. Because Matt is a clone, he is treated like livestock. People who know he is a clone see him as an inferior species. He is marked in more ways than one that make him stick out like a stick in mud.
Matteo Alacran (El Patron) is the most powerful drug loard in a country called Opium. He is very important to the story as he is the reason for Matt's life.
Celia is matt's caregiver, and the only person he knows for the beggining of his lfe and becomes one of his closest friends.
Tam Lin is Matt's bodyguard, he also becomes a very important part of Matt's life, ultimately saving him.
there are many other charachters iun the play, including Maria, Chacho, Rossa and othera. They all have roles that affect Matt's life and who he will become. Some major, some minor, but all addect him in mostely a negative way, but some in a positive way.
1.Describe Matteo Alacrán (mi vida).
2.Describe Matteo Alacrán (El Partón). M
3.Describe María.
4.Describe Tam Lin. What does Tam Lin represent to Matt?
5.Describe Celia. What does Matt see Celia as?
6.Describe the relationship between Matt and María.
7.Describe Rosa. How does she treat Matt? Why?
8.What are Eejits? What would they represent in modern day?
9.How is Matt different from all the other boys held by the Keepers? Why? What do thy call him?
10.What are the feelings Matt immidiatly has towards El Patrón? Why?

English Summative

just making sure it works