Scat

The central story of Scat! concerns the disappearance of Mrs. Starch and the conflict in the Black Vine Swamp. But the novel also tells the story of Nick’s father’s return from the Iraq War. Are these two plotlines related thematically? What does the Iraq War have to do with the Florida Everglades?

In the novel, Nick discovers the works of Edward Abbey, a writer and environmentalist who called for “monkeywrenching” or sabotage tactics in defense of the environment. Environmentalist groups like Earth First! who have employed such tactics, are sometimes called “eco-terrorists.” Does the novel support such methods? Do you?

Animal life is one of the central concerns of the novel. How should animals and humans coexist, according to Hiaasen? Use at least two of the animals that appear in the text—the panther cub and mother, Nadine the parrot, Horace the bloodhound, Mrs. Starch’s taxidermy animals, or any others—to support your argument. 

Jimmy Lee Bayliss, Dr. Dressler, and Duane Scrod Sr. are all minor characters, but they still reflect the novel’s guiding moral principles. Choose one of these characters and make an argument about what principles the character embodies—and whether they are good, bad, or something else, in the moral universe of the novel. 

The Black Vine Swamp—a fictional region of the Florida Everglades—is one of the most mysterious and eerie locations in the novel. It’s a scary place, but one that humans like Twilly and Mrs. Starch are determined to protect. How does Hiaasen use figurative and descriptive language to evoke this unique location, and what do those literary devices tell us about the novel’s larger environmental themes?

What does “scat” mean? Why did Hiaasen choose this as the title of the novel?

[Creative writing topic] Apply for a job opening as a Biology teacher from the perspective of either Mrs. Starch or Wendell Waxmo. Your application should include a brief syllabus and a cover letter describing your teaching style and pedagogical principles. 

Carl Hiaasen has written many successful mystery novels, including Scat!. How does the novel’s structure and plotting create mystery or suspense? You might consider foreshadowing, cliffhangers, danger, clues, comic interludes, or any other strategy Hiaasen uses to build tension in the story.