Galapagos

The Galápagos Islands are an important symbol in the story. How does their symbolic meaning evolve over the course of the novel?

At the beginning of the story, Mary contemplates suicide. How do her suicidal thoughts echo the plight of humanity in this moment?

To what extent is James Wait a product of his environment? Why does this make him a more sympathetic character?

The Bahia de Darwin is the cruise ship that becomes a second Noah’s ark. How does the ship’s journey prefigure the humanity’s journey?

Explore the ways in which the slow reveal of Leon’s biography shapes the course of the narrative.

How does the novel use the El Dorado Hotel to symbolize the divide between the rich and the poor?

Kilgore Trout is an unsuccessful science fiction writer and a bad father. How does Leon’s discovery of his father’s one fan change his perception of his father and society as a whole?

Leon presents the big brain of humans as the cause of much of their misery. How does his life’s story explain why he’s so disillusioned with human intelligence?