I think this is one of those books that people have to read in high school. It's interesting. I worry sometimes that books like this (short, easily taught, relatively well written, suitable for speculation about the author's "real" intent) are asked to support too much (e.g. lord of the flies, the great gatsby, the stranger, etc.). If the included notes are correct, and I am to suppose that a character in the story is a symbolic representation of Jesus, then I think I have misunderstood the Jesus story all these years.