Chapter 8

1.What was John’s upbringing like? His relationship with Linda? His education?
-He had a tough time finding acceptance in the native boys, so much of his time was spent by himself. He has a close relationship with Linda, and feels protective of her around other men.
2. Why doesn’t linda want to be called a mother?
-Because she has been conditioned to think family is wrong and even though she has love and appreciation for John, she is disgusted with herself for having a baby.
3. What social positions do Linda and John hold in Malpais?
-Neither of them are treated with kindness or acceptance. Linda is shown no respect by men, and John is clearly an outsider.
4. What does John want in his life?
-John wants to go to the World State, which is like a dream land according to his mother’s description. John is a character, who does not fit in either society.
5. What does Linda tell him about the Other Place?
-Linda would talk very highly about the Other Place. how you could go flying anytime of dayy??? that there was no such thing as sadness, and how everything was beautiful and happy.
6. What does he learn from Shakespeare? How does he relate to Hamlet? The Tempest?
-John connects with Shakespeare because it speaks to him and he is able to make connections to his own life. He relates Linda to the women sleeping on a bed in Hamlet, and Pope with Hamlet's uncle. John also sees Bernard as Prospero.
7. What does it mean to discover “Time and Death and God?”
-To discover time and death and God means to fully understand the purpose of life
8. What do John and Bernard have in common?
-They are both outsiders in their own community and are continuously striving for acknowledgement. They gravitate towards each other because they see the similarities between them.
9. Why does Bernard want to take John to London?
-Bernard sees fame and recognition through the Savage, and becomes corrupt and greedy and uses him.