In typical superhero fashion, there's a struggle between good and evil in Flora and Ulysses. Just like Flora says, all superheroes have an arch-nemesis, which means a villain is lurking around every corner for our favorite squirrel.
In this book, though, the good and evil aren't pronounced as in, say, The Hobbit, but it's still there. Don't forget that Flora's mom does try to convince others to kill Ulysses, and when she doesn't get her way, she decides to kidnap him and do the deed herself. Yep, we'd say that's pretty evil. Even though the struggle gets resolved in the end, we still see the characters battle it out in the book. Luckily, good wins. (Take that, evil.)
Questions About Good vs. Evil
- Flora sees her mom as an arch-nemesis. Is she? What does she do that proves she is/is not an arch-nemesis?
- Why is Flora initially convinced that William is the arch-nemesis? How does this help us understand good and evil in the text?
- What do you think it means that good wins? What message is this sending? After the book ends, do you think Ulysses will keep fighting evil?
- How would you define what good and evil are to Flora and Ulysses? Do you agree with their definitions?
Chew on This
Flora's mom might apologize in the end, but she represents evil because she knows it's wrong to kidnap and kill, and she tries to do them anyway.
Ulysses might fight off some bad guys in the book, but he doesn't actually fight evil.