Seven

c Pearson Education Limited 2008

Seven - Teacher’s notes

of 3

Teacher’s notes

LEVEL 4

PENGUIN READERS

Teacher Support Programme

About the author

Anthony Bruno’s novel Seven is based on the screenplay
by Andrew Kevin Walker of the film Seven. Bruno, who
comes from the United States, has written several other
books in the crime genre, including The Iceman, a true
story of an American serial killer. Bruno has a Master’s
degree in Medieval Studies and has worked as an editor
in a New York publishing house.

About the film

The film Seven stars Morgan Freeman as Somerset and
Brad Pitt as Mills. It was directed by David Fincher,
formerly a pop video director whose previous notable
venture into mainstream film direction was Alien

3

. This

shares with Seven a very pessimistic view of the world and
of people, realized on the screen with very dark, depressing
interiors, constant rain and cloud, and a generally
oppressive feel. Fincher has since directed The Game
(1997), Fight Club (1999), and Zodiac (2007).

Summary

Seven is a thriller about an ingenious serial killer. The
two main characters are detectives William Somerset and
David Mills. The American city in the story is unnamed:
it could be any major city such as New York, Los Angeles
or Chicago.

The book opens with Somerset thinking about his
forthcoming retirement from the police. However, his
plan is postponed with the murder of a grossly overweight
man, who has been force-fed by someone, and onto whose
house walls, the word GLUTTONY has been painted.
A second murder follows—that of a well-known lawyer
notorious for defending known criminals. The word

GREED is painted on his floor. Somerset realizes that the
murderer is linking his crimes to the seven deadly sins:
gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy and wrath, and he
warns his colleagues to expect more murders. The story
tells of the murders that follow and ends with a twist that
is both shocking and very sad.

Chapter 1: Somerset is a homicide detective who is about
to retire. He is keen to move to the country and change
his life. David Mills, a younger detective, comes to the city
to join him. They go to the scene of a homicide and find
a fat man, Eubank, with his face in a plate of spaghetti.
Somerset suspects there will be other murders.

Chapter 2: Eli Gould, a top criminal defense lawyer is
murdered. The word “greed” is written in his blood. He
has had to cut off parts of his own body and weigh them.
At his apartment, Somerset finds the word “gluttony” and
this links the murders. Later Somerset finds fingerprints
on the wall, which spell out “help me.”

Chapters 3 and 4: The fingerprints lead to Victor
Dworkin. They find him in his apartment, strapped
to the bed, where he has been for a year according to
photographs above him. He is just alive. The detectives
find the suspected killer, John Doe, via library records but
he shoots at them and escapes. Mills follows him and is
shot. Later at Joe’s apartment, the detectives find a hand
in a jar and photographs of the victims.

Chapters 5 and 6: Tracy, Mills’ wife, confides in Somerset
that she is pregnant. Then another victim is found dead
in a massage parlor. “Lust” is written on the wall. The
man who was with the girl was forced at gun point to
be involved in the killing. Later another victim is found.
This is a beautiful girl whose nose has been cut off. She
was given the choice to live without a nose or to commit
suicide. She chose suicide. Doe puts himself into the
hands of the police.

Chapter 7: Doe says he will lead Somerset and Mills to
the other victims. These represent “envy” and “wrath.”
They drive out to the desert on the highway. A delivery
van arrives with a package for Mills. Somerset opens it and
finds Tracy’s head. Somerset tries to stop Mills from killing
Doe, but Mills shoots Doe in the head. These are the final
sins, Doe’s envy of the detectives and Mills’s wrath. Mills
will go to prison and Somerset decides not to retire but to
continue the fight against crime.

Anthony Bruno

Seven

c Pearson Education Limited 2008

Seven - Teacher’s notes

2 of 3

Teacher’s notes

LEVEL 4

PENGUIN READERS

Teacher Support Programme

Background and themes

Good and evil: The main themes explored in Seven are
those of good and evil, and in particular, the different
ways of viewing and dealing with what is wrong in society.
In Seven, the concept of evil is not only embodied in the
killer, but in society itself. At one point the two detectives
discover notebooks written by the killer. Somerset realizes
that he agrees with and even sympathizes with the killer’s
view of the world: that it, and particularly the city, has
become so full of greed, selfishness and “sin” in general
that it is totally rotten and no real “good” is left. The killer
chooses to draw attention to and fight the evil that exists
in the world with his own evil, by killing what he hates.
Somerset, on the other hand, after spending twenty-three
years trying to clear up crimes, has given up the fight and
chosen to try to escape from it. It is Mills, his naïve and
idealistic young partner, who believes that the evil can be
removed by fighting against it.

Darkness and light: A related theme to the theme of
evil—more obvious in the film than in the book—is that
of darkness and light. The images in both the book and
the film begin with very dark places, often the inside of
drab apartments and the dreary police precinct house,
and with exteriors that are very dull—usually with rain
and heavy cloud. Through the story, the characters are
gradually seen in brighter surroundings, and the final
scene is in the desert, in brilliant sunshine. This journey
from dark to light represents the detectives’ gradual
understanding of the murderer’s motives and of his final
crime. It also represents Somerset’s gradual realization that
he cannot retire from the police and leave others to fight
crime.

Relationship between the detectives: The other main
theme is the relationship between the two detectives. This
relationship is a difficult one from the start. Their two
styles as detectives are totally opposed to one another:
Somerset takes an intellectual approach to crime-solving,
believing that the best way of catching a criminal is to get
into his mind, while Mills is very much a man of action,
angry and impetuous, who believes in searching the streets
to find the criminal. In addition, Somerset is very cynical
and doesn’t believe that the police can change much or
achieve much in the fight against crime. Mills disagrees
with this and feels that the police can rid the streets of
crime and help to build a better society. As the story
unfolds, we see how both approaches can work alongside
each other and the two detectives come to respect each

other’s style and way of working. However, the pessimism
of the book comes through at the end, when Mills’
theories are put to the test and Somerset is unable to
save Mills from himself.

Discussion activities

Chapter 1, pages 1–9
Before reading

1 Discuss: Make sure all the students understand the

word gluttony, then put students into small groups
and ask them to predict what this chapter is about.
Ask them to write down their ideas.

While reading

2 Guess: Have students look at the picture on page 6.

Have them guess how this man died. Write the ideas
on the board to refer at the end of the chapter.

After reading

3 Discuss: Divide the class into two groups. Have one

group make notes about Somerset’s character and his
style of working: the other half of the class does the
same for Mills. Then as a class, discuss the two men,
the differences in their characters and how this might
affect their working relationship.

4 Write: Have students imagine they are Somerset.

You write a letter to your mother, telling her that you
are going to retire and the reasons for this. Tell her how

much you hate the city and the crime you see all around
you. Tell her where you are moving to and what you are
hoping for in your new life.

5 Artwork: Divide the class into three groups. Have

one group draw the country scene that Somerset sees
while on the train, another group draw the outskirts
of the city and the third group draw a scene from the
city itself. Have the students use collage, paints or
create computer-generated images. Use these pictures
to create a display.

Chapter 2, pages 10–19
Before reading

6 Predict: In small groups have students discuss the title

of this chapter (Greed ). What do you think happens in
this chapter? What type of greed do you think this refers
to? Is there another murder? If so, who is killed and how

is this person killed?

While reading

7 Discuss: In small groups have students discuss this

quotation from Somerset: “People used to kill
someone for a purpose, even if it was a stupid
purpose. Now they do it for the hell of it, just to see
what will happen.” What do you think Somerset means
by this? Do you think having a purpose makes it all right

to kill someone? Can you imagine any situation where it

would be acceptable to kill someone?

Seven

c Pearson Education Limited 2008

Seven - Teacher’s notes

3 of 3

Teacher’s notes

LEVEL 4

PENGUIN READERS

Teacher Support Programme

8 Write: Have students think about crime in their

country/city. Ask them to write a paragraph on crime
there and a paragraph on what could be done to
change things. Is there much crime? What sorts of crimes

are committed? Have things got better or worse in your

opinion? Is there anything that can be done to stop or

prevent serious crime?

Chapter 3, pages 20–27
After reading

9 Pair work: Ask students to write the answers to the

following questions, and then compare their answers
with their partner’s. Why does Somerset doubt that
Dworkin is the killer at the beginning of this chapter?

Why do you think the killer is committing these

homicides? What do you think will happen next? Do you
think Somerset and Mills will find the murderer?

10 Role play: Student A: You are Somerset. You want to

see the library records. You are trying to see if anyone
has borrowed books related to religion, the seven
deadly sins, homicide etc. You are in a hurry and
quite cross.

Student B: You are Mills. You also want the

information but you are more polite and try and
talk the librarian into giving you access to the
computer records.

Student C: You are the librarian. You are not allowed

to let anyone who does not work at the library have
access to the records. You could get into trouble with
your boss if you do. Students have the conversation.

11 Discuss: In small groups have students discuss the

following questions. a) What evidence is there that the
killer has planned the murder very carefully? b) Why has

the killer cut off Dworkin’s right hand? c) What is the
meaning of the name John Doe?

Chapter 4, pages 28–32
Before reading

12 Discuss: Ask the class who they think John Doe is.

Is he the murderer or is he another victim? Has Somerset
simply made a mistake and John Doe has no connection
to the case?

After reading

13 Write: Have students make a list of the things they

find in John Doe’s apartment. What unusual things do

the detectives find? Who do you think the hand belongs
to? What unusual photographs do they find?

14 Discuss: Put students into small groups and ask

them to discuss John Doe. What sort of person do you
think John Doe is? What words could you use to describe

him? Is he a normal person or is he mad? Do you think

anything has happened to him in his life to make him
into a murderer?

Chapter 5, pages 33–36
After reading

15 Write: Have students write the next chapter of the

book. What do you think will happen next? How many
sins are left? Will the detectives stop John Doe? How will
they stop him? Will the killer strike again?

16 Debate: In small groups ask students to discuss the

following. What punishment should there be for a killer

such as John Doe? Do you think he should be sent to
prison or face the death penalty?
Do you have the death penalty in your country? If so, for

which crimes? Do you think the death penalty is a good
thing? Does it prevent other people from committing

murder? Divide the class into two and have them
debate the motion “The death penalty is a good
thing.” Each half should prepare arguments. After one
student from each group presents the arguments, the
class can debate the motion together. Ask the students
to vote for or against the motion.

Chapter 6, pages 37–39
After reading

17 Discuss: In small groups ask students to discuss this

chapter (Pride). What happens in this chapter? Why do
you think that Doe has given himself
up to the police? Do you believe Doe? Has he committed
other homicides? Do you think Doe is clever or stupid?
Is he planning something else?

Chapter 7, pages 40–49
While reading

18 Discuss: Refer to page 41. Ask students to discuss the

following questions in pairs. Why do you think Doe
will only talk to Somerset and Mills? Why can he only
tell them at 6 p.m.? What is he planning?

19 Discuss: Refer to page 44. Ask students to predict

what is in the box. Why is the box addressed to

Detective David Mills? What do you think is inside?
Write students’ predictions on the board before
continuing to read.

After reading

20 Discuss: Put students into small groups. Ask them to

discuss this chapter (Envy and Wrath). Was this the

ending you expected? What did you expect to happen?
Did you predict what was in the box? Who do you think
has won, the detectives or John Doe? Would you react in
the same way as Mills? Do you think what he did was

wrong? Should Mills go to prison or face the death

penalty, or should he be allowed to go free?

Vocabulary activities

For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
www.penguinreaders.com.