Being There

Could this story—that of a person accidentally becoming revered and famous through no will of their own—take place in the real world? Why or why not?

The novella argues that television and the media have created a society that cares only about appearances. How would you update this idea for a contemporary audience?

In the 1979 film adaptation, written by Kosiński, the housekeeper Louise sees Chance’s This Evening interview and tells her companions—who are also Black—that she knows Chance cannot read or write, and that being white is all it takes to succeed in America. In your opinion, what roles do race and white privilege play in the novella? Why did Kosiński include this comment in the film but not in the book?