The Secret History Essay Questions

The novel has an unusual structure, in that readers are told about the murder and the identity of the murderers immediately. What is the impact of that structure?

A key theme of the novel is the appeal of being part of an "in-group" or elite, select community. Richard is able to enter into what he perceives as an elite community first when he transfers to Hampden College, and then when he becomes one of Julian's students. He becomes privy to the secrets of the other Greek students, and this sense of being part of a special group makes him very loyal and sympathetic to them, even when they do terrible things. Tartt mimics this experience in the structure of her novel by immediately introducing the reader into a secret group: the select community of individuals who know the truth about what happened to Bunny. As a result, readers are more likely to feel sympathy for the characters, even if they are also horrified by them. The unusual structure also offers an opportunity to innovate the traditional structure of the murder mystery: rather than readers waiting to learn who the killer is, they experience suspense waiting to learn why the murder happened, and whether the killers were able to get away with it.

How is Bunny represented as different from the other students in the group of friends?

Almost as soon as Richard starts spending time with the other Greek students, he notices that Bunny is different from them. While the other students are extremely intelligent and preoccupied with intellectual and aesthetic pursuits, Bunny is unsophisticated, slow, and superficial in his tastes. He is often coarse and unrefined in his interests and pursuits. Unlike the other Greek students, Bunny is also not wealthy. Part of what leads to an uncomfortable sense of affinity between Bunny and Richard is that the two of them are alike in not being wealthy, but maintaining the guise of being so in order to fit in. Finally, Bunny is notably different from the other Greek students in that he has an ongoing relationship with someone from outside of the group (he dates a fellow student named Marian). The other students all lead an extremely insular life in which they only trust and interact with one another.

How does Julian impact and influence the students in the novel? Is he responsible for their violent behavior?

Julian creates a very close and tense atmosphere by separating the students from their peers, and from other role models. Because they can only take their classes with him, the Greek students cannot be exposed to other ways of thinking; when Richard first comes to Hampden, his advisor warns him of the dangers of spending all of his time studying with Julian. In addition to isolating them from other teachers and students, Julian encourages the Greek students to see themselves as special and elite. Julian implies that they live on a different aesthetic and intellectual level than other people, and implicitly suggests that they can also hold themselves to different moral standards. Although Julian never condones physical violence, by encouraging his students to see themselves as elite and better than other people, he also encourages them to believe that ordinary consequences should not apply to them. When Julian finally learns the truth about Bunny's murder, he only seems to be concerned about what the consequences could mean for himself, and does not offer any moral guidance or support to his students. In the end, Julian fails his students because he focuses on aesthetics and the intellect, without providing them with moral context.

What is the significance of Richard being the only student to complete his degree?

In the aftermath of Bunny's murder, Henry kills himself, and Charles, Camilla, and Francis scatter to their various homes. None of them return to Hampden, but Richard changes his major and completes his degree. He even continues on to graduate studies afterwards. This outcome is somewhat surprising and ironic; Richard has much less money and privilege than the other students, and he has to work harder to stay on top of the academic work that seems to come more naturally to them. However, Richard has to continue on with his studies because he does not come from a wealthy background, and needs to work towards some sort of credential and employment. Perhaps because Richard has more "real-world" experience, and a tougher and more pragmatic outlook, he can compartmentalize the experience of Bunny's murder and Henry's suicide, and forge ahead with his education. Richard has shown his toughness and stubbornness earlier in the novel when he endured weeks of freezing temperatures and almost died. Also, perhaps because Richard comes from a less privileged background, he has never taken his time at Hampden for granted, and is determined to complete his degree no matter what.

How does the response to committing murder vary between characters?

When Richard first learns that his friends have murdered the farmer, he is stunned by how cool and indifferent they seem. It does eventually become clear to him that some of them feel uneasy and guilty, and have tried to cope in various ways including performing an ancient Greek ritual of cleansing and atonement. When it comes to Bunny's murder, the friends are even more strained and tense. The second murder is different because it is premeditated, deliberate, and involves killing someone they have felt affection for. Perhaps because of these differences, the friends are significantly more impacted by Bunny's death. They become very tense, anxious, and tormented, and the close bonds between them begin to unravel. While these emotions lead to tragic outcomes like Henry's suicide, and Francis's later suicide attempt, Henry and Richard also discuss their feelings about killing someone, and Henry confides that taking a life was the most important moment of his life, and allowed him to finally transcend his intellectual focus and experience being fully present in the moment.