The Nix

Is this novel an example of what is called a Künstlerroman, that is, the story of the emergence of an artist? Analyze the idea that we have been reading the novel that Samuel, finally freed from his guilt and his anger, feels free at last to create. How does the novel manifest his embrace of empathy and understanding?

The central relationship in the novel is the love/obsession between Samuel and Bethany. Analyze what is gained or lost by recounting the critical moments in that relationship as a Choose Your Own Adventure story (338-404). That account is the longest set piece in the novel. Is that a gimmick that detracts from the depth of the emotions, or does it reflect fundamental elements of Samuel’s perception of life?

One of the most daring (and difficult) sections in the novel is the stream-of-consciousness narration told from the perspective of master video gamer Pwnage that climaxes in his collapsing at his computer. It is a single unbroken sentence. Analyze that section (570-84) and how it is instrumental in understanding Pwnage and his movement toward physical and mental health.

The novel explores the changing social and cultural definitions of what it means to be a woman. How does Faye’s life reflect those changes? Does it matter then that this analysis is done by a male writer?

Compare and contrast the two generations Hill explores: the counterculture movement of the 1960s and the post-9/11 Millennials. Take the characters of Alice and Laura Pottsdam and compare their life philosophies, their perceptions of education, their understanding of love, and their involvement in the world around them.

After a lifetime of restless searching for her identity, Faye finds her truest self in her journey to Norway. Provide a careful reading of Pages 671 to 689. What does Faye learn in meeting the family her own father abandoned, and why does she decide to return to her dying father and to her estranged son?

One of the risks Hill takes is recounting the experience of the 1968 Chicago riots through the perspectives of three actual historic figures: poet Allen Ginsberg, television news anchor Walter Cronkite, and presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey. Should a writer of fiction claim such intimacy with actual historic characters? How does each section humanize the historic figure? What does each figure add to Hill’s interest in exploring the intersections of individuals and history?

The novel closes with the line, “Eventually all debts must be paid.” How is this a fitting theme for the novel? Apply the novel’s closing line to the emotional and psychological evolution of both Faye and Samuel and the influence of Guy Periwinkle.