Home is where the heart is. There's no place like home. If you happen to have some ruby slippers, you can even kick your heels together three times to get there.
We have all these phrases for home because it's so important to our lives. You might just be thinking about the house where your parents live, but in Pnin, the idea of home is taken to a whole different level. It's not just a house, or a place to put your stuff, but a place where you are accepted and where you are familiar with the customs and culture. While it might seem at first that Pnin's problem is that he just can't get a house, it goes much deeper than that. His problem is that he just can't get integrated into American culture. So no matter where he goes, he'll never be at home.
Questions About The Home
- What relationship does the Russian Revolution and Pnin's exile from his native land have to do with his homelessness? Do you think all of the other Russian émigrés featured in Pnin feel the same way? Why or why not?
- Are there any times when Pnin doesn't feel homeless? If so, when? What about these places make Pnin feel at home? Is this feeling lasting, or is it broken up by something else?
- Even after she leaves her parents' home, Isabel is able to return to her childhood room. Why isn't Pnin able to return to his own childhood home in the same way? What is the difference between Isabel and Pnin in this respect? (Yes, we know that he is an old man and she is a young girl!)
Chew on This
Home is not a physical location in Pnin.
It is impossible for the Russian émigrés in Pnin to find a place to call home.