The Running Man Chapter Questions

1. When Joseph arrives for his second drawing session, what changes have occurred to the silkworm eggs and to Tom Leyton?
The silkworms have hatched into hundreds of active black shapes which are busily eating mulberry leaves as Joseph has a look at them. Joseph is surprised by the fact that the broken shells of the silkworm eggs did hatch even though they looked dead during the last time he visited. Another change Joseph recognizes is Tom Leyton's appearance, because whenever the silkworm eggs hatch Tom goes to have a haircut.

2. Read the description of Tom Leyton's room. (pp.84-5) What does the room suggest about the man who lives there?
According to the description of Tom Leyton's room on page 84 and 85, it suggests that the man who lives there is as normal as anyone in the neighbourhood. The room has bare walls which are a dull tan colour, a floral green carpet that covers the floor, a neatly made bed, double windows, a large closet, two bookcases which contain a few old newspapers, a desk which has several pieces of stationery placed on top of it and a cork notice board which has a few pieces of paper pinned onto it.


3. What do the two drawings that Joseph sees on the notice board - Escher's angels and devils and the illustration of Frankenstein's monster - suggest to you about Tom Leyton? (pp.86-7)

The two drawings that Joseph sees on the notice board suggest special meanings about Tom Leyton. The drawing of Escher's angels and devils implies that the world has both good and bad things.

4. Joseph comments that the image of Frankenstein's monster "just looks like a normal man". What is the effect of Tom Leyton's reply, "Most monsters do"?

When Tom Leyton replies to Joseph that most monsters do look like a normal man, it seems that he is applying that fact to himself. The text suggests that Tom believes that he is an evil person who has seen a lot of bad things happening in the world (especially during the time he was a soldier in the Vietnam War). The effect of Tom's words builds on his character and personality throughout the book.

5. In what ways could the lines of the poem that Tom Leyton recites relate to him? (pp.95-6)

The lines of the poem that Tom Leyton recites relate to his life. They seem to give the idea of how silkworms are imprisoned and how they are not allowed to be set free. They relate to him because like the silkworms, he is kept captive and cannot escape his dark secrets and memories about the terrible Vietnam War that haunts him.

6. How has Joseph's impression of Tom Leyton changed by the end of Part I? What has caused this change?

At the end of Part 1, Joseph's impression of Tom Leyton has changed because he now thinks that underneath the strange and silent man he met, there is a part of Tom Leyton who is very different to that. Joseph knows that the friendly side of Tom exists because of the way he sees him looking after the silkworms, the way Tom reads the silkworm poem with a kind voice and such emotion.

7. Why do you think Part I of the novel is called "All Their Lives in a Box"?

I think Part 1 of the novel is called "All Their Lives in a Box" because it talks about how Joseph and Tom's life is related to the life of a silkworm. Their lives are both "in a box". This is because Joseph is really timid and shy but when he meets Tom Leyton he has to face his fear of overcoming his nervousness and anxiety. Tom has to overcome his fear of his darkest secrets about the Vietnam War. Until these fears have been conquered their lives will be imprisoned and caged like silkworms.