The Mountain in the Sea

How do epigraphs function in the novel? Choose one epigraph and distill its meaning. Then analyze its significance to the chapter, the characters, and/or the novel’s themes.

Many characters in the novel experience profound loneliness and alienation. Choose two characters and analyze the source of their isolation and their means of coping. Using textual evidence, explore how the novel contextualizes isolation in relation to the barriers that exist between individuals and/or between an individual and society.

Throughout the novel, many characters struggle to balance their past and present identities. Choose two characters and compare their journeys, using textual evidence to examine what the past represents for them, how it informs their present, and whether they wish to discard or to cherish it?

Physical touch is a form of communication that the novel both subtly and overtly explores. Compare and contrast two scenes in which physical touch plays a role in communication (such as Ha’s physical contact with Evrim, Altantsetseg’s interactions with Ha, and Ha’s encounters with the octopuses). What does touch signify, and how does physical contact alter the characters’ relationships? How does the novel address physical contact or lack thereof?

Throughout the novel, Eiko has little interaction with anyone in the novel’s main storyline besides an automonk at the end. How does Eiko’s storyline on the Sea Wolf function? How does his character enhance the themes in the novel and provide a deeper understanding of other characters? What is the significance of the novel’s Epilogue and its focus on Eiko?

Consider the role of technology in the characters’ lives. Does technology improve humankind or degrade it? Choose three examples of technology (e.g., the abglanz identity shield, submersibles, the liquid interface tank, drones, point-five constructs, automonks, the AI trawler, and Evrim), and analyze their function, use, and significance in the novel. Include textual evidence.

Dr. Ha Nguyen and Dr. Mínervudóttir-Chan are two scientists who are experts in their respective fields, and the novel juxtaposes them frequently through their books’ epigraphs. How are they similar and different? What are their views on humanity, and how do their beliefs affect their treatment of Evrim and the octopuses? Use textual evidence to examine these questions.

Ha believes that empathy is essential to understanding the octopuses’ language, and one of her approaches involves seeking common ground. She focuses on the symbol of the eye and the concept of home. What common ground does Ha finds to communicate and empathize with Evrim? With Altantsetseg? Incorporate textual evidence to explore what she learns about each of these characters’ perspectives and experiences.