Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why do you think Zhivago only makes half-hearted attempts to reconnect with his deported family (Tonya and the kids)?
- Why do you think Pasternak ends this book by showing us 25 of Zhivago's poems? What do they tell us about the main character that we didn't already know?
- Why does Antipov decide to volunteer for WWI? Why does he become Strelnikov afterwards?
- Why exactly does the Communist government want to arrest Zhivago in the later stages of this book? Is there anything in particular that he's done wrong?
- Who shows up to rescue Zhivago and Lara when they get into trouble in Yuriatin? Why does Zhivago refuse to take this person's help?
- Do you think that this book's message is that capitalism is fundamentally better than Communism, or is it more complicated than that? Why or why not?
- Do you sympathize with Zhivago in this book, or do think he's not a very good guy? Why or why not?
- What parts of Doctor Zhivago do you think would have caused the most anger with the Soviet government when it banned Pasternak from publishing it?