Everything Is Illuminated

When Lista tells her story, she makes a point of directing it at Alex and ignoring Jonathan. Grandfather seems to support her choice, gesturing to Alex and saying, “Tell him.” Why is it so important to these two characters that Alex hears this story? Why is he the focus of their attention?

Analyze Safran Foer’s use of a nonlinear narrative. What is the effect of this method of storytelling on the reader? Why might Safran Foer have chosen to construct his narrative in this way?

The rape of Brod is a story that is revealed slowly, in several tellings throughout the novel. With each one, a little more of the story is told, until the reader has the complete picture. Why might Safran Foer have chosen to tell the story in this manner?

Alex writes to Jonathan, “It is true, I am certain, that you will write very many more books than I will, but it is me, not you, who was born to be the writer” (157). Why does Alex think that Jonathan is not a writer, despite his certainty that Jonathan will write “many” books? Why does he consider himself to be a writer now?

A number of Trachimbrod’s texts are described by the novel: The Book of Antecedents, The Book of Recurrent Dreams, and The Book of Past Occurrences. Choose one of these texts and discuss its significance. How does it contribute to the novel?

Discuss the significance of illumination in the novel. How does this motif operate to emphasize the book’s themes?

Analyze Safran Foer’s use of magical realism in the Trachimbrod narrative. Consider why he might have chosen this strategy and what the effects it on the reader.

At the end of the novel, Grandfather finally tells the story of his best friend, Herschel. But Grandfather’s story is told in a very different narrative style from the rest of the novel. How is Grandfather’s story stylistically different from the rest of the novel? Discuss Safran Foer’s use of this style in this section.