Killing Mr Griffin

Susan McConnell

(protagonist) “Nerd” who engages in kidnapping Mr. Griffin through peer pressure in her love for David

Details about Susan:

• Dreamt of “someday”

• Has a crush on David

• Most redeemable character

• Wanted to turn everyone and herself in

• Almost died because of Mark (Arson)

Mark Kinney

(antagonist) “Stoner” who creates the whole “kidnapping” (murder) plot and leaves everyone to deal with it and get in trouble

Details about Mark:

• Is very manipulative

• Has “funny” grey eyes

• Is a Psychopath (burned the cat)

• Killed his father (arson) and mother (sort of)

• Killed Grandma Ruggles (for ring)

• Wears a brown sweater

• Lives with his aunt and uncle

Betsy Cline

“Dumb Blonde Cheerleader” who is madly in love with Mark while dating Jeff

Details about Betsy:

• Loves Mark

• Has no remorse for her actions

• If you aren’t her friend, she will ruin your life

• Made Shawna Berman cry and get kicked out of the school play

• Daughter of the county commissioner

Jeff Garrett

“Jock” who is Mark’s bestie and is dating Betsy.

Details about Jeff:

• Loves Basketball

• Mark’s best friend since 6th grade

• Witnessed Mark kill a cat (arson)

David Ruggles

“Popular Kid” who is the Del Norte senior class president

Details about David:

• Lives with his mom and grandma

• He is poor and has a lot of pressure on him to end it

• His dad left him

• His dad went to Stanford

Mr. Griffin

“Strict teacher” teaching English at Del Norte H.S

Details about Mr. Griffin:

• Has a wife named Cathy Griffin

• Has a baby on the way

• Actually cares about his students

Setting:

Del Norte H.S in Albuquerque, New Mexico

The allusion in this book is to:

“Hamlet” By Shakespeare

How does “Hamlet” refer to Susan?

She represents “Ophelia”

• “Ophelia” drowns herself in a river because “Hamlet” rejected her (weak and fragile)

• Susan deeply cares for David and feels left out in school (and at home)

Metaphorical meaning of Susan’s glasses?

• They represent her intelligence

• They show her blinded around David specifically when she takes them off around him (loses her judgement and awareness)

At the beginning, a bird flies into the school window, how is this a metaphor of how Susan feels about her life?

The bird represents her blindness in the dust (David) and how if she continues to admire David, she will crash.

What is the meaning behind Mark’s eyes?

• Represent the evilness he creates when he hatches a mischievous plan

• Also represents his manipulative skills

What makes Mark a psychopath?

• He burned and killed a cat

• He killed his father (arson)

• Wants to kill Griffin

• Is a Sociopath

Why does Jeff go through with Mark’s plan?

He has been Mark’s bestie since grade 6 and he trusts he always knows what to do.

What (in his house) represents the emptiness of David’s life?

His living room because he says it’s dead inside just like him

Why does David go through with Mark’s plan?

He dislikes Mr. Griffin and needs a better English grade to get into law school. This is so he can get a scholarship and get a good job to make money for his (poor and struggling) family (lots of pressure on him)

Who is Lana (Turnboldt)?

Lana is Mark’s ex GF who Mr. Griffin broke up. She gave a term paper so he could in, but Mr. Griffin recognized it. He made Mark redo the course and made it so that Lana moved to another state due to Mark’s “bad influence”

Why did Mr. Griffin leave the University of Albuquerque to teach H.S?

He wanted to teach H.S to prep his students for university because his university students were not prepped enough.

Who does Mr. Griffin think is a good writer?

He thinks Susan is a good writer and Cathy Griffin wants him to compliment her for it.

What does Mr. Griffin need pills for?

He needs his pills to deal with his Angina

What does Mr. Griffin’s tie represent?

• His dignity as a teacher (and (soon to be) father)

• The noose that signifies the end of his time living and his death

What does Cathy Griffin hope for Mr. Griffin to do when she has the child?

She hopes he will gain more sympathy so he can treat his students better and just his own child.

Why does Susan not like her part in the kidnapping?

She doesn’t like her part in the kidnapping because she is the one that lures Mr. Griffin out to the car. He also shouts “run!” caring for Susan’s safety more than his own.

What goes wrong with the kidnapping?

• They left their prints everywhere

• Almost choked Mr. Griffin

What did David do to make sure his grandma didn’t see into the plan?

He gave her sleeping pills to think she fell asleep while watching the game show with David.

How did Betsy mess up her alibi?

She was speeding and got pulled over by a cop + given a ticket to which she tried to bribe him by saying her father is on the county commision.

How does Mr. Griffin die?

He got an Angina attack and without the pills, he couldn’t stop it.

How are David and Susan “mirrors”?

They are mirrors because they both of the idea of “someday” and running away from home to start new lives

How do Mark’s aunt and uncle feel about him?

They think he is odd and is probably doing drugs as a speculation, but in reality, that is true

Why did Mark’s mother get a nervous breakdown?

Because Mark commit arson and burned down the house with his father still (purposefully) inside it sleeping (due to the sleeping pills)

What mistakes did David make with his alibi?

• He told his grandma that a random girl on the game show they were watching won (which he guessed and probably didn’t win)

• He also told his grandma she was asleep (wasn’t supposed to know that)

Does Mark actually believe everything will “be alright”?

Yes, because he planned out the kidnapping and cover up scheme in a way that gives him little to no involvement.

Why is Betsy jealous of Susan?

because she gets all the attention from Mark in the sense that she wanted to turn everyone in.

In what ways is “Hamlet” alluded to?

• Ophelia: Susan (love for David and emptiness)

• Hamlet: Jeff (and the rest of the gang) at Mr. Griffin’s burial (quoting his own demise)

Why did Mark suggest to keep Mr. Griffin’s credit cards and keys in the car?

To see if anyone could steal the car and take the responsibility of a missing person’s car for themselves.

What are the mistakes made while burying Mr. Griffin?

• Soil was left uneven (not dug deep enough)

• Finger Prints (except Mark’s)

• Dave took ring + left his jacket

• Left Pill bottle + credit cards

Why does the officer recognize Betsy?

This was the officer that gave her a ticket for speeding earlier during the kidnapping. (she said she was daughter of county commissioner)

Why does David take Mr. Griffin’s ring?

He realizes it’s a Stanford ring which was identical to the one his own father had.

What is Mrs. McConnell’s image of Susan?

She believes that Susan is perfect and would never tell lie (even though she lied to police and Cathy Griffin)

How does Cathy Griffin know Susan was lying?

• Said Brian was jumpy

• Said Brian was checking a watch (didn’t have one)

• Said there was a woman in the car + recognized ALL her details

How does Mrs. Griffin know about the other participants in the kidnapping?

• Susan: Mr. Griffin’s favorite (good writer)

• David: knew his papers were the ones that flew away

• Mark: knew he copied the term paper from Lana

• Lana: about to make the connection to her and the secret area

Who are the only people that know of the mountain/waterfall area?

• Mark: Jeff, Betsy, David, Susan

• Lana: New BF + Fiance

Why does David’s grandmother believe that he is secretly seeing his Daddy?

• Found the Stanford ring he took from Mr. Griffin

• Lied about the game show + where he was

When Lana talks to Lt. Baca, what important details does she say to expose the kidnappers?

• Talks about the secret spot that only she and Mark knew about

• Pill bottle + credit card location

• David’s jacket

• Missing ring

• Overturned soil (grave)

What are the new plans for the car?

For jeff to take it into his own garage and spray paint over it then dump it in a native reserve (Zuni)

Explain the importance of the blowing wind?

• David and Susan’s first meeting: (helping him collect his flying papers) Freedom + life being taken away + chaos

• Picnic at waterfall: (coming up with Susan’s part in the kidnapping) death + trouble brewing

• Griffin’s ring: (Stanford motto ring - “the winds of freedom blow”) Freedom will be taken away

What’s the foreshadowing shown, when we see the lady smiling at Susan through the window?

It means someone is going to see through their cover up plan and it will be Mrs. Griffin

In what ways do we see that the Garrett’s do not see their son Jeff as a real person?

Just like Susan’s parents, they believe that Jeff is perfect even though he is involved in this kidnapping + murder plot/scheme

What information does Mrs. Griffin learn from the newspaper?

She learns about how Lana Turnboldt discovered all the upturn in the secret location that only she and Mark knew about

What David’s grandmother mean when she says "The winds of freedom are filled with laughter.”

The winds (aka her death) will be happy because she will be in a better place

Who killed David’s grandma?

Mark because:

• saw a kid with “funny eyes”

• lady next door saw a kid with a brown sweater in her room

What are the implications of Susan’s statement “I did that”

She had told Mark about Grandma Ruggles having the ring and so she became a target for him (otherwise she would inform the police)

Why does Mark attempt to kill Susan?

Because he knew that Susan would go to the police and tell them about everything, including Mark’s murders

How does Mark attempt to kill Susan?

by lighting her curtains on fire and setting the rest of the house ablaze while she would be still in it (arson like with his father)

Who rescues Susan from her burning house?

Mrs. Griffin because she was driving to Susan’s and recognized her husband’s car (Jeff had + repainted)

Why does Susan scream, “I’m going to die, You’re glad, aren’t you?”

She sees Mrs. Griffin and thinks that after what she did to her husband with the others that Mrs. Griffin would wish death upon her.

Why is the whole family going to counseling?

They think that what Susan went through (kidnapping plot + almost getting murdered) is a whole family matter. At the beginning, Susan wanted to run away from her family but now she wants them more than anything.

How does the last verse in Susan’s, “Song for Ophelia,” explain why she becomes involved with Mark and the others?

Water, water cold and deep, \n Hold me fast that I may sleep. \n Death with you is hardly more \n Than the little deaths before.

It talks about her life before the whole situation and it’s misery but she know she knows that was just a stumble and it’s better than ever.