A Short Walk Through a Wide World

Discuss and analyze the ways Uzair Ibn-Kadder does and does not typify the prevailing attitudes about science and reason at the time of the novel. How do Uzair’s attitude and behavior contribute to the novel’s themes?

Aubry experiences many types of love over the course of her life. Using examples from the text, highlight and discuss these different kinds of love. Does she give special weight or significance to a particular kind? Why or why not?

Characters within the novel offer several possible ways to interpret Aubry’s sickness, including the theory that she has a mental illness, the theory that she is being punished for her selfishness, and the theory that the sickness is the world’s attempt to be seen. Which interpretation best describes Aubry’s reality (if either), and why? Explain using examples from the text.

In what ways does the nonlinear structure of the novel influence the reading experience? What are the possible benefits and difficulties of writing in this nonlinear structure?

What is the significance of the pattern of stories within stories through the novel, and how might this narrative structure contribute to the possible themes?

In what ways do the three major themes interact, influence, and/or contradict each other? Does each complicate or expand on the others? Explain using examples from the text.

Consider the various attitudes about travel presented in the novel: from the romanticized envy of those around Aubry, to Aubry’s feelings of punishment and exile, to the Prince’s argument that travel is Aubry’s purpose in life. Can all these contrasting views be accurate at the same time? How does the novel reconcile them?

Analyze the scene at the end of Chapter 84. What is happening to Aubry? Support your interpretation with examples from the text.