Compare and contrast Bag of Bones with another Stephen King novel that explores similar themes, such as Carrie (1974). How are the two texts different or similar in how they approach ideas about class, discrimination, and/or vengeance?

How do the settings of Sara Laughs, Dark Score Lake, and TR-90 play into the cultural tradition of the New England Gothic? What is the wider significance of each setting in the text?

Discuss the politics of the novel by drawing parallels between the racist treatment of Sara Tidwell and the classist treatment of Mattie Devore. What does the novel suggest about the relationship between these social issues and the problem of power dynamics?