Essay prompts This Could Be Us Kennedy Ryan

Analytical Essay Prompts for This Could Be Us

Introduction

These twelve analytical essay prompts are designed to explore the narrative architecture, character arcs, and thematic layers of Kennedy Ryan's This Could Be Us. Each prompt targets specific literary elements—character change, causality, relationships, contrasting scenes, themes, symbols, structure, foreshadowing, and the novel's ending—while avoiding general questions that could apply to any story. Every prompt includes a rationale, a defensible thesis direction, and concrete evidence leads from the chapter outline and key scenes. Internal links connect to relevant themes, characters, and questions and answers for deeper study.

1. The Epigraph as Structural Blueprint

Why it matters: The epigraph, a quote from Zora Neale Hurston, establishes a cyclical pattern of questioning and answering that frames the entire narrative. Examining how the story embodies this pattern reveals Ryan's deliberate structuring of Soledad's journey from confusion to clarity.

Sample thesis direction: Ryan uses the epigraph from Their Eyes Were Watching God as a structural device: the novel's early chapters pose questions (˜What happened to my marriage?', ˜Who am I now?') and the later chapters supply answers (˜I am my own person', ˜Self-trust is foundational'), creating a coherent arc of growth.

Evidence leads:

  • The epigraph appears in Chapter 2: Epigraph, right before the prologue, setting up the expectant tone.
  • In Chapter Twenty-Four: Soledad, Soledad reads bell hooks and interprets soledad hermosa as a personal sign, an answer to her earlier questioning of self-worth.
  • The Epilogue: Soledad shows Soledad fully at peace, no longer asking “why me?” but living the answer: “I have learned to save my heart for one worthy of it.”

2. The Machete as Symbol of Reclaimed Agency

Why it matters: The machete appears abruptly in a scene of destruction and becomes a recurring emblem of Soledad's fury and her refusal to be passive. Its transformation from a weapon of anger to a tool of liberation mirrors her character arc.

Sample thesis direction: In This Could Be Us, the machete symbolizes Soledad's shift from victim to agent: she first uses it to destroy Edward's belongings in an act of raw catharsis, but later channels that same force into rebuilding her life, converting rage into self-determination.

Evidence leads:

  • In Chapter Ten: Soledad, Soledad retrieves her mother's machete and demolishes Edward's man cave, cutting her hand in the process.
  • The Chapter Twenty-Four: Soledad live stream shows her renovating the same space into a “she shed”—a constructive repurposing of the site of her violence.
  • In the Epilogue, Soledad feels “relief” rather than fury when Edward flees, indicating the machete's symbolic work is complete: she no longer needs external destruction to feel powerful.

3. Causality: Edward's Betrayal as the Catalyst for Soledad's Self-Discovery

Why it matters: Understanding how Edward's deception sets off a chain of events—financial ruin, STI diagnosis, shattered trust—illuminates the novel's causal logic. Soledad does not simply react; each blow forces her to redefine her identity.

Sample thesis direction: Soledad's journey toward self-partnering is not a voluntary project but a causal consequence of Edward's cumulative betrayals: the embezzlement strips her financial identity, the STI destroys her marital trust, and the discovery of his affair child forces her to confront her own complicity in ignoring red flags, thereby propelling her toward radical self-reliance.

Evidence leads:

  • The arrest (Chapter Two: Soledad) freezes her assets and publicly humiliates her, removing her comfortable role as wife and homemaker.
  • The chlamydia diagnosis (Chapter Eight: Soledad) ends any illusion of marital fidelity, turning grief into rage.
  • Learning about Amber's baby (Chapter Thirty-Two: Soledad) on a prison visit forces Soledad to tell her daughters the truth, solidifying her decision to prioritize her own healing.

4. Contrasting Scenes: The Prison Visit as a Mirror of Transformation

Why it matters: The novel contains two pivotal prison visits—one where Soledad is shattered, one where she is steeled. Comparing them shows her character growth and changing relationship with Edward.

Sample thesis direction: The two prison visits bookend Soledad's evolution: in the first (Chapter Nine: Soledad) she confronts Edward about infidelity but leaves still financially dependent and emotionally raw; in the second (Chapter Thirty-Two: Soledad) she learns of his secret baby yet walks away composed, having already built a career and self-trust that make her impervious to his betrayals.

Evidence leads:

  • First visit: Soledad demands answers, threatens custody, but returns home to destroy his belongings—still reactive.
  • Second visit: Edward cuts the visit short; Soledad sees Amber with the baby but doesn't break down; instead she throws a dance party for her daughters.
  • Between visits, Soledad launches her content career, reads All About Love, and begins her self-partnering journey.

5. The Role of Foreshadowing in the Epigraph and Soledad's Name

Why it matters: Ryan uses the epigraph and Soledad's name as foreshadowing devices. The word “soledad” means solitude in Spanish, and the epigraph promises answers. Together, they hint at Soledad's ultimate destination: a peaceful self-possession.

Sample thesis direction: The epigraph (“years that answer”) and Soledad's name (“soledad hermosa”) together function as proleptic clues: before the plot unfolds, the text signals that Soledad's solitude will become beautiful and that the answers she seeks will arrive exactly when she stops looking outward and turns inward.

Evidence leads:

  • The epigraph (Chapter 2) is placed before any plot events, conditioning readers to expect a movement from questions to answers.
  • In Chapter Twenty-Four: Soledad, Soledad discovers soledad hermosa in bell hooks' book and recognizes it as a sign that her solitary path is correct.
  • The novel ends with Soledad in Morocco, content not because she found a partner but because she found herself first.

6. Relationship Change: Soledad and Judah's Arc from Adversaries to Partners

Why it matters: The romance is built on a foundation of initial opposition—Judah investigates Soledad's husband and suspects her complicity. Analyzing how they move from distrust to intimacy reveals the novel's argument that true partnership requires vulnerability and timing.

Sample thesis direction: Soledad and Judah's relationship progresses through three distinct stages—adversarial (Judah investigates, Soledad resents him), cautious alliance (they cooperate on the CalPot case while acknowledging attraction), and intentional love (they build a life after Soledad completes her self-partnering work)—each stage mapping onto Soledad's growing self-trust.

Evidence leads:

  • Chapter One: Soledad introduces Judah as “the accountant who exposed Edward” and Soledad is cool toward him.
  • Chapter Eleven: Judah shows Judah defending Soledad during the board meeting, marking the shift from suspicion to protection.
  • In Chapter Forty-Four: Judah, after Adam's seizure, Soledad declares she loves Judah but doesn't want marriage; Judah responds that he only wants a life with her, showing their values have aligned.

7. Theme: Neurodiversity and Parenting as a Central Lens

Why it matters: Ryan's Author's Note explicitly states her son inspired the story. The novel treats autism not as a subplot but as a shaping force for both Judah and Tremaine's identities and for Soledad's capacity for empathy.

Sample thesis direction: This Could Be Us argues that parenting autistic children does not restrict love or ambition but rather reframes them: Judah's devotion to Aaron and Adam is what Soledad admires most, and her ability to connect with Aaron (cubing, calming him) becomes proof of her emotional depth, challenging Edward's dismissive view of domestic labor.

Evidence leads:

  • Prologue: Judah shows Tremaine selflessly giving Judah primary custody after Aaron uses his device to say “Stay with me.”
  • Chapter Fourteen: Judah depicts Judah de-escalating Aaron's meltdown with patience and love, a scene Soledad witnesses indirectly.
  • Soledad engages Aaron in Chapter One by cubing together; Judah recognizes this as a sign of her exceptional character.

8. Symbol: The She Shed as a Microcosm of Soledad's Reclamation

Why it matters: The she shed—formerly Edward's man cave—undergoes a physical transformation that parallels Soledad's psychological one. Analyzing this space as a symbol reveals the novel's theme of rebirth through renovation.

Sample thesis direction: The she shed functions as a tangible metaphor for Soledad's psychological renovation: she demolishes the old (Edward's pool table, jerseys) and rebuilds it as a sanctuary for reading, streaming, and writing her “Me List,” demonstrating that reclaiming space is an act of reclaiming self.

Evidence leads:

  • Chapter Ten: Soledad: she destroys the man cave with a machete, a raw act of catharsis.
  • Chapter Twenty-Four: Soledad live stream: she repurposes the shed into a “she shed” and reads All About Love there.
  • She later uses the shed for intimate moments with Judah, making it a site of new trust rather than old betrayal.

9. Structure: The Use of Judah's Point of View Chapters

Why it matters: The novel alternates between Soledad and Judah's perspectives. Examining when and why the narrative switches to Judah reveals how Ryan builds empathy for both characters and controls the pacing of their romance.

Sample thesis direction: Ryan strategically places Judah's POV chapters at moments of emotional distance or crisis for Soledad (the arrest aftermath, the barbershop scene, the hospital) to keep Judah's desire visible even when Soledad pulls away, thereby sustaining reader hope for their eventual union without undermining her self-partnering journey.

Evidence leads:

  • Chapter Seven: Judah occurs right after Soledad's home is raided; Judah defends her in the board meeting, revealing his protectiveness.
  • Chapter Seventeen: Judah shows Judah watching Soledad's self-partnering live stream and deciding not to interfere—a key moment of restraint.
  • Chapter Thirty-Five: Judah after their first night together, Judah's perspective captures his longing and Soledad's fear, maintaining tension.

10. The Ending: Self-Partnering as a Prerequisite for Partnership

Why it matters: The epilogue does not begin with a wedding or a grand gesture; instead, it shows Soledad and Judah peacefully coexisting in Morocco. The ending deliberately subverts romance conventions by emphasizing that Soledad's happiness does not depend on Judah.

Sample thesis direction: The novel's epilogue argues that self-partnering is not a stage one outgrows but a permanent foundation: Soledad enters the relationship only after she can say “I love myself completely,” and the final scene shows her content “no matter what shape” the relationship takes, proving that her worth was never contingent on being chosen.

Evidence leads:

  • In Chapter Forty-Four: Judah, Soledad tells Judah she doesn't want marriage; he agrees. This confirms that their bond is not defined by legal ties.
  • The Epilogue closes with Soledad reflecting: “I now realize you can risk loving completely when you completely love yourself.”
  • The novel ends with a quote from her mother's legacy: “the ends of forever reunited and tied together” — but only after Soledad has found herself.

11. Character Change: Soledad's Evolution from People-Pleaser to Boundary-Setter

Why it matters: Soledad begins as a woman who sacrifices her own needs for her husband and children. Tracing her boundary-setting across the novel shows how she reclaims agency not by abandoning care but by redefining it.

Sample thesis direction: Soledad's arc is best understood through her progressive boundary-setting: she first fails to enforce boundaries with Edward (accepting body shaming, emotional neglect), then learns to set boundaries with her mother-in-law Oneida, her daughters, and finally with Judah himself, culminating in a self-possession that allows her to choose love without losing herself.

Evidence leads:

12. Theme: Intergenerational Healing and the Value of Maternal Legacy

Why it matters: Soledad's mother and grandmother appear through objects, stories, and journals. These legacies provide Soledad with a framework for understanding her own worth. Analyzing how Ryan uses maternal inheritance deepens the novel's exploration of identity.

Sample thesis direction: In This Could Be Us, maternal legacy is not sentimental but instructional: Soledad's mother's chest (containing All About Love, the machete, the Grito de Lares flag, and the journal) acts as a resource that Soledad draws upon for courage, pride, and self-love, suggesting that healing is often a conversation across generations.

Evidence leads:

  • Chapter Six: Soledad: Soledad opens her mother's chest and finds All About Love—the same book that later inspires her soledad hermosa moment.
  • Chapter Ten: Soledad: She retrieves the machete from the chest and uses it for catharsis.
  • Chapter Forty-One: Soledad: Soledad reads her mother's journal passage declaring herself “the love of her own life” and the hornet metaphor, directly influencing Soledad's final self-understanding.
  • Epilogue: Soledad quotes her mother's legacy: “first she loved herself,” integrating it into her own worldview.

Further Exploration

For more discussion questions and analysis, visit the general questions and answers page. For deeper dives into specific topics, see the themes pages on betrayal and trust, neurodiversity and parenting, and healing and second chances.