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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is BJ's profession?

2. In his fantasies, where does Jack Lovett say he planned to take Inez when they're reunited?

3. According to Didion, what city is en route to nowhere?

4. Why is the helicopter engineer back in Vietnam after two years in the US?

5. The last time Inez and Janet speak, Janet remembers her mother doing what at her wedding?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author pointedly argues throughout DEMOCRACY that memory is the first casualty of public life. As such, the story of the novel, told in retrospect, is kept ambiguous to the reader. Write an essay on the frailty of memory, in three parts:

Part 1) The primarily philosopher of lost memory is Inez Victor. What examples does she give when explaining to a reporter that memory is the cost of public life? What has she lost from her own life?

Part 2) To what extent is the years-long relationship between Jack Lovett and Inez Victor an exercise in forgetfulness? What do they deny about their history and feelings, and how does this lead to an explosive event in Honolulu?

Part 3) In what way is the style in which Didion tells the story of the narrative an act of forgetfulness? How does her use of hypothetical language and constant qualification regarding facts create the sense of a history forgotten?

Essay Topic 2

Jack Lovett is - far beyond anyone else in the novel - an ambiguous figure whose actions and intentions are unknowable. Write an essay examining the overwhelming strengths and fatal weaknesses of Lovett's character. What is his role in prosecuting and resolving the conflict in Vietnam? How does his life represent absolute control? What mistakes does he make at the end of the novel? Is his death suspicious in any way?

Essay Topic 3

The narrative of DEMOCRACY is largely centered around a few brief, shattering actions. Write an essay about three such actions in the story. From what do they derive, and what does their occurrence indicate about the characters of the novel? What unexpected consequences result from them? How, in the end, are they all connected?

Part 1) The Paul Christian shootings.

Part 2) Jessie Victor's stow-away trip to Saigon.

Part 3) The fall of Saigon.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 412 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample