Names reflect the personalities of several characters in The Schwa Was Here. How does Calvin Schwa’s name reflect his identity? How does Antsy’s name reveal his character? Consider elements like cultural heritage, family, and dialect. In the Schwa’s case, consider his namesake phonetic sound.

Compare and contrast Antsy’s family to the Schwa’s family. How do they differ? Are there similarities between the two? How do the two boys’ families influence how they feel about themselves?

Antsy empathizes with the Schwa’s feelings of invisibility because he also feels overlooked and average. Why does each boy feel invisible? How do other people make them feel invisible? What do Antsy and the Schwa do to become visible?