About the Author
Robert Cormier was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1925. As a member of a large, working-class family during the Great Depression, he came […]
I Am the Cheese
Setting
Like Cormier’s other novels, I Am the Cheese is set in small-town New England. In this case, Adam Farmer (formerly Paul Delmonte of Pennsylvania) lives […]
Themes and Characters
Because of its intentionally ambiguous characters and structure, it is not easy to construct a clear analysis of this novel. A detailed attempt to solve […]
Literary Qualities
Critical reaction to I Am the Cheese has taken two directions. Many readers find the novel a mind-boggling, deliberately confusing detective story with no real […]
Social Sensitivity
To parents and educators familiar with Cormier, I Am the Cheese will seem an extension of the author’s indictment of American government and society. Here, […]
Topics for Discussion
1. It is not until late in the novel that Adam discovers his secret past. What earlier indications are there that his parents are hiding […]
Ideas for Reports and Papers
1. Cormier’s novels are often compared to J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and John Knowles’s A Separate Peace. Research critical opinion on […]
Related Titles and Adaptations
I Am the Cheese is one of four novels by Cormier dealing with social and political evils and the role of human nature in the […]