Book Selection Status: READ
Month: February 2011
Genre: Fiction:
Book of the Month: The Lotus Eaters
Author: Tatjana Soli
Question source: http://www.thelotuseaters.net/HomeLotusEaters.html
1.) Soli pulled the novel’s title, The Lotus Eaters, from an episode in Homer’s The Odyssey and uses Homer’s description of the land of the lotus-eaters as the novel’s opening epigraph. What connection do you see between Homer’s lotus-eaters and the main characters of this novel? What, if anything, in this novel acts like the lotus described by Homer, so powerful and seductive it causes one to abandon all thoughts of home? Does each character have a different "lotus" that draws them in? How does the title illuminate the main themes of the novel?
Month: February 2011
Genre: Fiction:
Book of the Month: The Lotus Eaters
Author: Tatjana Soli
Question source: http://www.thelotuseaters.net/HomeLotusEaters.html
Discussion Questions:
1.) Soli pulled the novel’s title, The Lotus Eaters, from an episode in Homer’s The Odyssey and uses Homer’s description of the land of the lotus-eaters as the novel’s opening epigraph. What connection do you see between Homer’s lotus-eaters and the main characters of this novel? What, if anything, in this novel acts like the lotus described by Homer, so powerful and seductive it causes one to abandon all thoughts of home? Does each character have a different "lotus" that draws them in? How does the title illuminate the main themes of the novel?2.) The novel begins with the fall of Saigon, and then moves back in time twelve years to the beginning of the war. How do you think this structure contributed to your experience of the novel? Did this glimpse of Helen in 1975 influence how you related to her character at earlier points in her life? Did knowing the outcome affect your judgment of her actions and the actions of those around her?
3.) Helen makes a pivotal decision at the end of Chapter 1—to send Linh on the plane and stay behind to “see it end.” Why does she make this decision? How did you feel about it? Did your feelings about it change over the course of the novel?
4.) What does Helen think of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people when she first arrives in Saigon? How do her feelings evolve throughout the novel? How does this evolution affect how she comes to view the war and her role in it?
5.) In Chapter 3, Darrow says, “The cool thing for us is that when this one’s done, there’s always another one… The war doesn’t ever have to end for us.” Why does he say this to Helen? What does it show about how Darrow views the war and about Darrow himself? When Helen repeats these words back to him in Chapter 11, how has their meaning changed?
6.) In Chapter 19, Helen believes that “violence had poisoned them all....” In what ways are Darrow, Helen, and Linh poisoned? What, if anything, keeps each of them from being destroyed by it?
7.) Throughout the novel, Helen finds herself in love, and loved by, two very different men. How would you characterize each of her relationships? Did you prefer Helen in one relationship over the other? What are each relationship’s strengths and weaknesses? Which man do you ultimately believe is Helen’s great love?
8.) Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Bravery and courage are frequently mentioned in the novel. In what ways do the various characters display these traits? In what ways do they fail?
9.) What do you think the future holds for Helen at the end of the novel? For Linh?
1 comment:
1. I think the connection between the lotus eaters and the main characters of the novel is that they are all drawn to the war. I think war - the excitement and rush - is the lotus. The title illuminates the themes that people have lost themselves to something greater.
2. I liked how the novel started towards the end of the story - it foreshadowed what was going to happen and drew me in to the story quickly. How did we get to this point? I think seeing Helen in 1975 did influence me a little, but not too much. I was more intrigued with her path - what got her from the beginning to that point.
3. I think Helen makes that decision because she is so emotionally invested in the place that has become her home. I could understand that decision, but Helen's later decisions that were riskier didn't make sense to me. There is a difference between calculated risk and plain careless.
4. Helen didn't understand Vietnam when she first arrived - it was exotic and new. Through the course of the novel she begins to learn more about the people and place which affects her view as an observer and recorder of the war - what affect the war is having on the people of Vietnam.
5. I think Darrow says this to Helen to prove his point that it is a never ending cycle - the situation isn't unique. He is forcing her to grow up. I think it shows Darrow's realism and how cynical he has become about his place. When Helen repeats them back to Darrow she is trying to get him to realize that war will always be there and that they can leave it behind...it isn't going to change if they are there or aren't there.
6. I think they are all poisoned by the environment - the constant violence and situation surrounding them. I think they are not destroyed by their own humanity and capacity to love.
7. Helen's relationship with Darrow seemed more of a student/teacher romance where she was being taught about the world she had found herself in. I thought her relationship with Linh as more equitable. I didn't prefer her in one relationship over another and I think each offered her something. She learned about herself with Darrow and she learned to love more equally with Linh. I think each man was a great love, but in different ways.
8. I think the characters exhibit bravery by doing their jobs - putting themselves in danger to document the war. I think Darrow isn't brave when it comes to dealing with his personal life - his wife and son.
9. I think life would be difficult for Helen and Linh - a new country, a new way of doing things, etc. It is a stressful situation and a lot to go through.
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