I'm writing a literary analysis paper on Cat's Cradle. My teacher said that we're supposed to write about the novel in present tense. If the character is dead before the novel begins, do I use past or present tense when referring to his actions?
Set the story itself as the present. If it occured before the story, it's the past.
ex: When the book begins, Albert Worcester is going for a walk as a means of pondering the letter written by his cousin Suzie, who had been run over by a railcar prior to the events of the novel.
Only if it's a critical phrase. As an example, just randomly citing, "and then" wouldn't be very useful and ought not to be cited, but if it's, say, an important line of dialogue like, "You liar!" then yes, it should be cited.