Griffin introduces characters who are not as clearly "good" or "bad" as those in The Aviators (1988). As they cross the line between admirability and questionable behavior — or in the case of the coward and bully Lieutenant Macklin, despicability — their behavior, reactions, and attitudes and beliefs draw into focus the way we react to them as well as the things they react to; we as readers either mirror their reactions or recoil from them.

1. Describe the attitude toward Chinese in the novel. How is it different from the attitude toward Europeans? Is it xenophobic?

2. Why do you think Lieutenant Macklin and others disregard McCoy's advice regarding the Japanese troops and their plans to spy on them?

3. Describe the character of Lieutenant Macklin. What is his function in the novel? Is he a flat or a round character?

4, Are there really any round characters in the...