77 pages • 2 hours read
The Night Circus
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Essay Topics
At the conclusion of the novel, the circus seems to remain active and to be traveling to different locations. How might the circus change over time to accommodate different cultures and generations?
Isobel and Celia are depicted as being foils or rivals for each other. What other characters serve as foils or rivals for each other in the novel?
Time plays an important role in the novel, particularly because the circus performers don’t age. In your opinion, is time being manipulated by any specific forces or characters, or is time presented as being a matter of destiny and fate?
Discuss the effectiveness and effects of the novel’s non-linear narrative.
Discuss the allusions to Shakespeare—particularly to The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet—found throughout the novel.
The novel is narrated from a variety of perspectives. Discuss why the author might have chosen to tell the story in this manner. How does it shape the experience of reading the novel?
Discuss why Bailey was willing to surrender his life for the sake of the circus.
How is paternity represented in the novel? What does the novel suggest about the influence of parents upon the development of their children?
Over the course of the novel, Chandresh seems to change from an ingenious perfectionist to someone suffering from madness. What causes Chandresh to lose his sanity over the course of the novel? What allows Chandresh to regain his sanity?
Discuss the morality of the circus. Is the circus, and the competition between Celia and Marco, moral or immoral?
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