Island

Will represents Western ideology in this novel. How do his ideas change, and why?

How does the Palanese family structure differ from that in the West? What benefits does this structure have?

The nurse Radha recounts how three American doctors visited Pala. What are the major differences between how the American doctors view medicine and how the people on Pala view it? How do the Pala’s views of medicine reflect their larger ideology?

Dr. Robert and Vijaya do manual labor on a daily basis even though they do not have to. What does this say about the value of work in Pala? How does manual labor fit with Pala’s vision of self-actualization?

The novel is told in third person, though often through Will’s perspective. How does this impact the tone? How might the tone and reading experience be different if the novel was told by Will directly, in first person, or through another character’s perspective?

In Huxley’s dystopian novel, Brave New World, a drug called Soma was used as a weapon against citizens, enabling the government to subjugate the population. In Island, there is also a drug, Moksha. How are the two different? Are there any traces of Soma in Moksha?

How is Lakshmi’s death different from that of Will’s Aunt Mary? What does this say about how the Palanese view death differently from Westerners?

Will and Susila share a very intimate and sensual experience that does not turn sexual. Why do you think Huxley decided not to add a carnal element?