1. Discuss the use of "doublespeak" in the novel. Is it effective? What is its overall significance and role in the novel?

2. Doctors are portrayed as cold and impersonal in the novel. Are they just being scientific or are they really evil?

3. Describe the setting. Compare and contrast it with T. S. Eliot's poem "The Wasteland."

4. There are several important symbols in the novel, such as the lilac bush, the stigmata, and the bumblebee. Trace one of them in detail as it appears in the novel and discuss its suggested meanings.

5. The plot has elements of both pessimism and optimism. Which element, in your view, is dominant? Support your choice.

6. Choose a central conflict in the novel, such as optimism versus pessimism or altruism versus selfishness, and classify and describe several of the characters in terms of that choice.

7. One critic...