Essay prompts Immortality Dana Schwartz

12 Analytical Essay Prompts for Immortality by Dana Schwartz

Use these prompts to write a critical essay on Dana Schwartz’s Immortality. Each prompt is built around a specific question that draws on the novel’s characters, themes, symbols, and structure. For each prompt you will find:

  • Why This Prompt Matters – the stakes of the question
  • Sample Thesis Direction – a defensible claim you could argue (not a full essay)
  • Evidence Leads – 3–5 chapter/scene clues to investigate

1. How does Hazel’s confrontation with Marie‑Anne Lavoisier in the Companions’ cabinet test her ethical boundaries?

Why This Prompt Matters
The scene in Chapter 29 (Chapter 31 of the novel) is the climax of Hazel’s relationship with the immortal society. It forces her to choose between loyalty to a powerful group and her own moral code. Analysing this moment reveals the novel’s argument about the corrupting nature of secret power.

Sample Thesis Direction
Hazel’s decision to tear off Marie‑Anne’s reattached arm signals a rejection of the Companions’ ends‑justify‑means philosophy and affirms Hazel’s commitment to patient‑centred, non‑exploitative medicine.

Evidence Leads

  • The discovery of mould in the “Kew” drawer proves Marie‑Anne has been poisoning King George III.
  • Marie‑Anne attacks Hazel when she refuses to reveal Charlotte’s location.
  • Hazel tears the sutures on Marie‑Anne’s arm, a physical rupture that mirrors her ethical break.
  • After escaping, Hazel decides to help individuals rather than pursue institutional power.
  • The earlier scene in Chapter 17 where Hazel refuses the Tincture foreshadows this refusal of immortality’s temptations.

2. What does the recurring symbol of the dead leaf signify across the novel?

Why This Prompt Matters
The epigraph from Sense and Sensibility – “It is not everyone … who has your passion for dead leaves” – introduces a tension between romanticising death and facing it scientifically. Tracing this symbol through the narrative shows how characters relate to mortality.

Sample Thesis Direction
Dead leaves shift from a romantic emblem of decay (epigraph) to a scientific specimen (Hazel’s treatise) and finally to a marker of lost vitality, mirroring Hazel’s journey from grief‑driven avoidance to acceptance of impermanence.

Evidence Leads

  • Epigraph: Jane Austen’s line establishes a romanticised view of death.
  • Chapter 23: Jack rejects the Tincture because he wants to “grow old with someone” – embracing decay.
  • Chapter 31 (the ending): Hazel’s treatise describes a fictional “Alpine blood disorder,” a cover that treats death as a medical fiction.
  • The mould at Kew (Chapter 29) is a literal decay that reveals poison – life and death entangled.
  • Hazel’s initial grief for Jack (Chapter 3) parallels Elinor Dashwood’s rationality: she suppresses emotion to work.

3. How does the novel use the false arrest of Hazel in Chapter 6–7 to expose the legal vulnerability of women in medicine?

Why This Prompt Matters
Hazel is arrested for a murder she did not commit, based on the coerced testimony of a patient. This plot point crystallises the injustice female practitioners faced and connects to the novel’s larger critique of patriarchal institutions.

Sample Thesis Direction
Hazel’s imprisonment and trial demonstrate that the legal system operates not on evidence but on gender bias; her eventual escape relies on male privilege (the Prince Regent’s order), exposing the limits of individual agency.

Evidence Leads

  • Florence Fitzpatrick testifies under coercion from the judge and her husband (Chapter 7).
  • Lord Ellenborough’s Act (1803) is quoted at the end of Chapter 7, making abortion a capital crime.
  • Hazel’s earlier treatment of Mary (Chapter 4) shows her ethical willingness to help, regardless of law.
  • The high constable ignores Hazel’s pleas (Chapter 6).
  • Hazel’s release (Chapter 8) comes not from justice but from a royal summons – a deus ex machina.

4. In what ways does Jack’s survival and transformation (Chapters 22–23) challenge the novel’s idea of identity as fixed?

Why This Prompt Matters
Jack returns as “Ellis,” a naval hero with an eyepatch and a new story. His physical and social metamorphosis raises questions about whether identity is rooted in history or in performance.

Sample Thesis Direction
Jack’s assumption of a new name and backstory, combined with his refusal to take the Tincture, suggests that identity is a conscious choice rather than a biological given – even for an immortal.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 22: Jack recounts his escape, stealing clothes, using an alias, and surviving the shipwreck.
  • Chapter 23: Jack rejects Marie‑Anne’s claim that the Tincture cannot be reversed, insisting on a mortal future.
  • Hazel initially cannot reconcile the scarred Jack with the boy she loved (Chapter 21).
  • The scene at the Companions’ club (Chapter 23) where Jack feels out of place highlights his refusal to join the immortal identity.
  • The epilogue (Chapter 32) shows Hazel and Jack still speaking Scots in America – they retain their original identity despite transformation.

5. How does the relationship between Princess Charlotte and Eliza function as a foil to Hazel’s relationship with Jack?

Why This Prompt Matters
Both couples face structural barriers – class, gender, and duty. Comparing their choices reveals the novel’s commentary on love and sacrifice within different social spheres.

Sample Thesis Direction
While Charlotte and Eliza choose escape through Hazel’s scheme, Hazel and Jack choose commitment within the world; the novel ultimately values private integrity over public rebellion.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 25: Hazel discovers Charlotte and Eliza kissing; Charlotte calls herself a “clockwork doll.”
  • Chapter 27: The plan to fake death involves sacrifice of reputation – Hazel knows she will be blamed.
  • Chapter 26: Hazel and Jack dig up a grave to get a body, a shared criminal act that deepens their bond.
  • Charlotte flees with Eliza to Bavaria (epilogue); Hazel and Jack marry and sail to America.
  • Both couples end up in exile, but Hazel and Jack face the future together without hiding their identities.

6. What does the discovery of arsenic in the King’s wallpaper (Chapter 24) reveal about the novel’s attitude toward science and power?

Why This Prompt Matters
Hazel solves the mystery of the King’s illness not through the Tincture but through observation of a mundane environmental poison. This scene contrasts the Companions’ secret science with practical, open medicine.

Sample Thesis Direction
The arsenic revelation positions Hazel’s empirical method as morally superior to the Companions’ secret knowledge, arguing that science should serve public health rather than elite manipulation.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 24: Hazel remembers the mould from her old medical bag and deduces damp walls + green wallpaper = arsenic.
  • Marie‑Anne had been using the same mould to poison the King (Chapter 29).
  • Hazel and Simon remove the paper and save the King without any Tincture.
  • The Companions’ hidden laboratory (Chapter 19) contrasts with Hazel’s plan to publish her treatise for common people.
  • Simon’s fabrication of “Alpine blood disorder” (Chapter 28) is a lie that protects Hazel but also hides truth.

7. How does the structure of the novel – beginning with Lavoisier’s execution and ending with Hazel’s treatise – create a commentary on legacy?

Why This Prompt Matters
The prologue shows a scientist whose work is nearly lost; the final chapter shows Hazel ensuring her work survives through a published book. Comparing these frames illuminates the novel’s view of what endures.

Sample Thesis Direction
By bookending the narrative with the loss of Lavoisier’s papers and the preservation of Hazel’s treatise, the novel argues that written knowledge outlasts physical immortality.

Evidence Leads

  • Prologue: Marie‑Anne rushes home to salvage Antoine’s research.
  • Chapter 2: Hazel is writing a medical treatise for ordinary people.
  • Chapter 24: Marie‑Anne advises Hazel to publish under a male name – a practical legacy.
  • Chapter 32 (epilogue): The treatise is published in 1822 and includes the fictional “Alpine blood disorder” cover story.
  • The Companions’ immortality is kept secret; Hazel’s book is accessible.

8. What role does the Companions to the Death’s initiation rite (removing the left pinkie) play in the novel’s critique of elitism?

Why This Prompt Matters
The physical mutilation required for membership is a literal sacrifice of normal function for belonging. Examining this ritual helps explain why Hazel refuses it and what the novel says about exclusive communities.

Sample Thesis Direction
The pinkie removal symbolises the reduction of humanity for the sake of belonging; Hazel’s refusal preserves her full capacity to heal, aligning the novel with an inclusive ideal of medical practice.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 17: The Society explains the initiation – everyone is missing their left pinkie.
  • Hazel refuses and becomes an honorary member without the cut.
  • Chapter 19: In the laboratory, Hazel reattaches Mr. Lewis’s finger using diluted Tincture – she restores what the society removes.
  • The Companions are all historically famous figures; their exclusivity is intellectual and physical.
  • Marie‑Anne’s severed head at the end (Chapter 32) literalises the reduction to a talking brain – the ultimate loss of body.

9. How does the novel’s treatment of Roman fever (a recurring disease) foreshadow broader themes of contagion and control?

Why This Prompt Matters
Roman fever killed Hazel’s brother George and early on seems just a distant threat. But it reappears as a mechanism of control and a cover story, linking disease to power.

Sample Thesis Direction
Roman fever starts as a personal tragedy and evolves into a tool of deception and political manipulation, mirroring the way the novel’s characters weaponise medicine for control.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 1: Hazel’s brother died of Roman fever; she notes wortflower as a possible treatment.
  • Chapter 3: The theatre is closed due to Roman fever.
  • Chapter 29: The fake princess’s body is said to have died of Roman fever.
  • Simon invents “Alpine blood disorder” (Chapter 28) – a fictional disease that protects the conspirators.
  • The Prince Regent threatens Hazel with disgrace (Chapter 12) – using medical failure as punishment.

10. Compare the two scenes where Hazel examines Princess Charlotte: the first (Chapter 11) when Charlotte refuses to be touched, and the later scene (Chapter 13) when a dog helps break the barrier. What does this progression reveal about trust and healing?

Why This Prompt Matters
The shift from refusal to a five‑minute examination is a turning point in Hazel’s relationship with Charlotte. The use of an animal intermediary underscores the need for empathy in medical practice.

Sample Thesis Direction
Hazel earns Charlotte’s trust not through authority but through patience and a small act of kindness (retrieving the dog), suggesting that healing requires a human connection that transcends the clinical.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 11: Charlotte explicitly forbids touch; Hazel respects the boundary.
  • Chapter 13: Hazel returns Edwina the dog, and Charlotte allows a five‑minute exam.
  • Simon’s advice (“treat the princess as a real person”) directly precedes this breakthrough.
  • The earlier scene with Mary (Chapter 4) – where Hazel nurses an abortion patient without judgment – mirrors this trust‑building.
  • After the exam, Hazel wishes she could share the news with Simon, linking collaboration to success.

11. How does the novel use the Tincture of immortality as a symbol of both hope and entropy ?

Why This Prompt Matters
The Tincture grants eternal life but leads to boredom, guilt, and moral decay. It is never a simple blessing; the novel consistently complicates its value. Analysing its dual nature goes to the heart of the book’s theme.

Sample Thesis Direction
The Tincture creates an illusion of control over time, but every character who uses it – or refuses it – ends up more constrained, suggesting that mortality is necessary for meaning.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 17: Hazel refuses the Tincture because “I don’t want to watch the people I love die.”
  • Chapter 19: Antoine’s severed head is stitched on – a grotesque form of immortality.
  • Chapter 23: Jack rejects a life without aging, calling it a curse.
  • Marie‑Anne’s eagerness to use the Tincture to control the monarchy (Chapter 29) shows power corruption.
  • The epilogue (Chapter 32) shows Marie‑Anne reduced to a living head – trapped, not liberated.

12. Analyse the ending (Chapter 32) where Hazel and Jack leave for America while Marie‑Anne remains as a disembodied head. What does this contrast say about the different kinds of “immortality” the novel presents?

Why This Prompt Matters
The final images – a couple starting a new life and a head preserved in a cabinet – offer two versions of transcendence. One is biological; the other is narrative. The novel’s last word goes to Hazel’s published treatise.

Sample Thesis Direction
The novel ultimately endorses a form of immortality achieved through writing and love, not through the Tincture; Hazel’s book and her marriage outlast Marie‑Anne’s physical survival.

Evidence Leads

  • Chapter 32: Hazel performs self‑surgery after being shot; she and Jack commit to an immortal life together.
  • The epilogue describes Hazel waiting to enter medical school – her persistence is immortal in spirit.
  • Marie‑Anne is a head, still talking philosophy, but trapped and bodiless.
  • Hazel’s treatise is published and includes the fabricated disease – her written legacy.
  • The final line – “She had time” – emphasises the endless possibility of a mortal life lived fully.

Further Resources