Erewhon

When the narrator arrives in Erewhon, he notes that many things are similar to England. What similarities does he note, and how do these serve to connect the reader with the Erewhonians?

How does the narrator navigate the culture and language barriers he encounters when he first comes to Erewhon? How are these methods indicative of English culture, and is the narrator successful in assuaging the concerns of the Erewhonians?

What reasons do the Erewhonians have for imprisoning people for contracting illnesses or encountering bad luck? How do these reasons relate to natural selection, and how does the narrator argue against them?

The narrator acknowledges that the straighteners are effective at helping people to overcome morality issues, and he wonders why they do not do the same for people with illnesses. How does this reflect on English society and the accepted treatment of people with moral or medical issues?

How is the Musical Bank system an allegory for the Church of England? In what ways are the two similar, and how do the differences between them expose Butler’s satire?

As the Nosnibors pretend to believe Mahaina, so too do English people put on a show for others in order to maintain a social peace. How does Butler criticize this practice, and in what ways does the narrator think Erewhonians could better arrange their social behavior?

The Book of the Machines presents arguments that are both reasonable and unreasonable. Which arguments make sense to you, and which do not? How might these arguments change the way modern readers view technology?

The prophet and philosopher make similar arguments about food, and yet the narrator thinks that the philosopher is ridiculous. What is the fundamental difference between the two arguments, and why might one be more valid to become a law than the other?