Life After Life

Discuss the book’s competing philosophies about fate, the course of history, and the meaning of life. Do you see different characters exhibiting different philosophies? Which philosophy does Ursula adhere to? Does she change her opinion during the novel as she comes to understand her unique circumstance?

Discuss whether and how Ursula grows as a character. What does she learn from her previous lives and her attempts to change events? You may discuss whether other characters grow or change during the novel as well.

Examine the fate of certain minor characters are how their destinies change, or do not change, during the course of Ursula’s repeated lives. How does this change (or lack of change) reflect on Ursula’s choices? What larger themes or arguments does this change, or lack of change, support?

What arguments is the novel making, overall, about the value of a human life and the impact of single human lives on the larger course of events? What is the power of an individual choice? Use examples from the text as support.

Discuss how the theme of motherhood is represented by different characters, such as Sylvie, Izzy, Pamela, and Mrs. Glover. In what ways is motherhood different for each? You may wish to enlarge the discussion by looking at the role of fathers, such as Hugh or Maurice, and trace an argument the novel is making about parent-child bonds more generally.

Examine a relationship Ursula has with one other character in the novel. You may choose a major character, like someone from her immediate family, or a supporting character like Millie or Crighton. How does this relationship enlarge the novel’s illustration of the importance of human connection?

What does Ursula’s “ideal” life look like? What choices do you see her making again and again, and for what purpose? What larger statement might the novel be making by this about human will and fate or happenstance? What does the novel suggest is within human control, and what is not?

The novel does not include a timeline in which Ursula unambiguously succeeds in assassinating Hitler. What does this choice mean for the novel’s larger philosophical questions about war, the course of history, and the consequences of (and limits on) human choice?