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1. What is the occasion of the opening scene in A Little Life?

In the opening scene, two friends named Willem and Jude are looking for an apartment to rent together in New York City. The eleventh apartment they view meets with their approval, but when they get back to the office, Willem and Jude are told that they cannot rent the apartment after all. They do not have sufficient assets in the bank.

2. What does Willem say in the opening scene when he is asked about his parents and why is it significant?

The realtor asks if Willem and Jude have anyone to co-sign for their lease, such as their parents. Willem quickly speaks up and tells the realtor that both his and Jude's parents are dead. While this is likely, but not necessarily, true of Jude, the reader learns later that both of Willem's parents had both been alive during this period of time. But Willem has written them off and he also wants to be in union with Jude's answer, a theme that will continue to resound throughout the remainder of the novel.

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