The Hundred-Foot Journey Competition

Hassan is constantly caught in the crossfire of those willing to do anything to get ahead, whether it's Papa and Mallory's competitive fighting that lands him in a burning stove or, later on in life, cooking in the dog-eat-dog world that kills his friend Paul and threatens to put an end to Hassan as well. So is competition a good thing in The Hundred-Foot Journey? We're thinking it isn't, at least not when it comes to competition between people. Insofar as Hassan is competitive with himself and always trying to up his game, though, well, we think it works out just fine.

Questions About Competition

1. Would Hassan be able to succeed at what he does without having a competitive personality?
2. Usually bad things happen when people get really competitive in this book. Is there a situation where competition ends well?
3. Does Paul Verdun fall into ruin because he is overly competitive, or is it because he foolishly doesn't think that he has competition at all? 
4. Do you think that Hassan does not have to be competitive because his friends do the dirty work for him? Why or why not?
   

Chew on This

Hassan's biggest competitor in this book is himself.

This book argues that competition with others always comes at a steep price.