If Cats Disappeared From The World

Explore the influence and impact of cinema on the novel. How do the movies he has seen affect the postman’s envisaged movie adaptation of his own life?

Discuss the significance of religion in the novel’s portrayal of Coming to Terms with Death. Why does the novel feature the Christian Devil?

Compare the deaths of Tom, Lettuce, the postman’s mother, and the postman. How are these deaths similar and different? How do the postman’s reactions to the deaths demonstrate his character development?

Consider doubles and doppelgangers in the novel: the postman and Aloha, the postman and his father, the two cats named after leafy greens, etc. How does this motif contribute to the novel’s meaning?

How does the author’s use of symbols and motifs relate to the theme of Valuing Objects, Relationships, and the Everyday?

Why are the postman and other characters unnamed? How do characters’ names or lack thereof affect their characterization?

Why is novel divided into seven chapters named for the days of the week?

A major theme in this novel is Juxtaposing Gain and Loss. How is this theme explored through the consequences and impact of objects disappearing (phones, movies, and clocks), and the threatened or imagined disappearance of other objects (cats, chocolate, music etc.)?