49 pages • 1 hour read
Charles BelfoureThe Paris Architect
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In the beginning, Lucien considers himself a selfish person and is motivated to help protect Jewish people through disgust for his own cowardice. Would he have helped if he was not a coward in the first place?
Celeste calls Lucien “an architectural Mephistopheles,” saying he is a collaborationist willing to sell his soul for the chance to design. Is she right? Why or why not?
Lucien expresses anti-Semitic views throughout the book but eventually takes Pierre in and comes to consider him a son. Did Lucien stopped being anti-Semitic or is he simply making an exception for the only Jewish child with which he has spent a lot of time?
Whose fault was it that the Serraults died in the fireplace hiding spot? Why?
The zookeeper tells Juliette, “‘Oh, madame, you don’t know how good it makes me feel about myself to help a human in this time of evil’” (187). If someone is doing the right thing because it makes them feel good about themselves, is it still morally right?
Pierre murders Alain to protect Lucien. Was this the right decision? Why?
Herzog considers himself a loyal soldier to Germany, even though he helps Janusky, Lucien, and Lucien’s new family escape. Is he a good soldier? Is he a good person?
The Resistance believe that “to live defeated is to die every day.” Is this true? Why or why not?
Janusky feels guilty that many people died because he continues to escape capture and considers turning himself in to the Nazis. Manet, however, believes Janusky must continue living because of those lives. Who is right? Why?
Father Jacques considers protecting the Jews to be a moral imperative. Did the citizens of France have a moral obligation to protect groups targeted by the Nazis?
