Portnoy's Complaint | Topics for Discussion & Projects

Portnoy's Complaint Topics for Discussion

Discuss the meaning of the title of the first chapter. Who is "The Most Unforgettable Character" Alex ever met—his mother? his father? his penis? himself? Explain your answer.

In what ways are Alex's core concerns—his attitudes towards sex, his preoccupation with his career, his troubled relationships with the opposite sex and his parents, his questioning of faith—typical not only of young men, but of young people in general? In what ways are they atypical? Take into account Alex's age—are his attitudes and concerns typical or appropriate for someone in his early thirties?

As previously discussed, the book's secondary characters (Alex's mother and father, The Monkey, Kay and Sarah, Naomi, etc) are all portrayed from Alex's perspective—that is, from a point of view with an agenda. What might that agenda be? Why does Alex have that agenda—what is his goal in...
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