Landscape with Invisible Hand

Analyze the novel’s satirical elements. What is the author’s main purpose or message? What real-world circumstances is he criticizing? How does the author achieve this purpose?

Describe the relationship between Adam and Mr. Reilly. How do they feel about each other? What indicates this feeling? Why are they closer than typical individuals in a student-teacher relationship?

Compare and contrast the vuvv and the humans. How are they biologically similar or dissimilar? Do they have similar values? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Discuss Hunter Marsh’s characterization. What are his primary characteristics? Does he symbolize a larger concept? How does Hunter impact the text’s satirical tone? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Analyze the novel’s ending. Why does Adam suggest that his family leave everything behind and start over? How does his family react, and why? Did they make the right choice? Why did the author choose this ending? What is the message?

Discuss Adam’s illness, Merrick’s Disease. How did he contract it? What are its physical, mental, and social effects? Why can’t he get treatment? How does Merrick’s Disease help establish the novel as being in the dystopian genre? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Compare and contrast Adam and Mr. Costello. What are their priorities? How do their personalities differ? How do they treat their family?

Examine the impacts of the vuvv invasion. Why did the human economy fail? How did the wage gap change? How did life change for those on Earth’s surface? How did these changes affect the Costello family?