Acceleration

Although she’s deceased from the outset of Acceleration, the figure of Maya evolves throughout the book. Broadly, what does Maya symbolize, especially in relation to the character of Duncan? Reflect upon how Duncan’s thinking toward Maya shifts and changes throughout the book. How does Roach’s journal end up changing the course of Duncan’s life and how he feels about Maya? How do Duncan’s feelings about Maya at the start of the book compare to his feelings at the end?

In your response, be sure to include moments in the text where Maya isn’t explicitly named, but evoked through imagery—of water, of the figure of a woman, etc.

Teaching Suggestion: You may wish to have students focus on Maya as a symbol of Duncan’s Guilt for the purpose of discussion and analysis. He is haunted by the fact that he could not save her from drowning. Simultaneously, Maya is also a symbol of Duncan’s Second Chance, since the figure of Maya inspires Duncan to pursue Roach in order to stop him from killing the women detailed in the journal. At the end of the book, Duncan indirectly shows he has overcome his guilt about Maya: After his year-long discomfort with water, Duncan dives to the bottom of a public pool.