Chapter 12

House of the Scorpion - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – The Thing on the Bed

We learn that Matt’s activities were all supposed to be risk free and many safeguards were put in place to protect him. However, Tam Lin took Matt on weekly expeditions over the hills, where he had the opportunity to mountain climb and tease rattle snakes.

One day Felicia came to see Matt. She said Maria wanted to meet him at the hospital. When he got there, Maria said that Tom told her that Matt wanted to meet her there. Tom led the two of them to a hospital room where they saw a clone, deprived of its intelligence, in considerable pain; the clone was of Mr. MacGregor. It appears that Tom wanted to take Maria there to show her that Matt is similar to this “beast.”

1. How were Matt’s activities to be?
2. How were the expeditions with Tam Lin?
3. Who visited Matt? Why?
4. Who arranged the meeting between Matt and Maria?
5. What did Maria, Tom, and Matt think was in the room? What actually was in the room?
6. Whose clone was in the room?
7. What do you think was Tom’s motivation for bringing Maria and Matt to the hospital room?