Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- How do you feel when Frederic and Aymo kill the soldier during the retreat? Did he have it coming to him, or was the punishment worse than his crime? Other than the fact that he’s dead, can we distinguish him from the soldier that got away? If so, how? If not, does this impact how we feel about Frederic and Aymo?
- Would we consider Frederic a more or less reliable narrator if the novel was in the present tense? Or would we feel the same as now? Why?
- What, if anything, made you laugh when you read it? Which characters have the funniest lines? What role, if any, does humor play in the novel?
- Remember the two teenage sisters Aymo picks up during the retreat? Why do they stop crying and feel better when Aymo asks them if they are virgins?
- What significance is there when Rinaldi kisses Frederic after Frederic was wounded? What can you find in the text that supports your point?
- What might the novel look like from Catherine’s perspective? (Remember, she is dead.) Do we feel like we get a clear picture of her from Frederic? Would she be a more or less reliable narrator than Frederic?