Cloud Atlas
Could someone provide rough answers to the discussion questions at the end of the BookRags study guide?
1. How does the unique structure of the novel (its pairs of chapters that go forward and then backwards in time) add (or detract) from the telling of the story? Is the structure merely a clever literary device or does it add something to the novel?
2. Several subtle threads tie all of the chapters and time periods together. Describe two of these, such as the "comet-shaped" birthmark, and give examples from each pair of chapters.
3. How does the author use literary devises to create a unique mood for each pair of chapters? Give examples of these and where they are used in the novel.
4. In each pair of chapters, there is one character that is not quite what he, at first, would appear to be. Identify these characters as well as the hints given that might lead the reader to their true identity.
5. War and conflict are portrayed as an inevitability of any society in Cloud Atlas. Is this premise truly valid? Does it have parallels in today's current events?
6. How does David Mitchell use language to evoke moods? Give examples of how he uses place and object names to foreshadow coming events.
7. Want is the author trying to say about the human condition? Is his message one of despair, one of hope, or one of resignation? Give examples.
