Contrapposto

Compare Cricket, Jed, and Olympia’s relationships with their respective father figures. How do these relationships affect their characters as they develop throughout the novel?

Comment on the novel’s portrayal of the political power of art. What do the characters achieve (if at all) by staging political art pieces?

Discuss the novel’s portrayal of mentorship. Does Eggers effectively suggest that mentorship is essential for the development of skill or talent? Could Cricket have achieved his personal resolution without his mentors? Why or why not?

Beyond Cricket’s withdrawal, what alternative strategies for artistic survival in a commercial world do characters like Marcus Carpenter and Olympia represent?

How does the novel’s narrative point of view align the reader with Cricket’s perspective on art? Where does that alignment become unreliable or limited?

How does the novel navigate the economics of art? Does it effectively suggest that artists should not work for profit, or does it present arguments for giving artists a sustainable living without compromising their values?

Qualify Carpenter’s discourse on the difference between conceptual art and traditional art by citing examples from real life. Use these examples to argue whether you agree with his position or not.

Comment on Eggers’ use of time in the novel. How does time mediate the characters’ relationships with each other?