The Eyes Are the Best Part

Analyze how the text employs parallel patterns of male control (George, Geoffrey, Appa, etc.) while differentiating specific manifestations. How do these patterns contribute to the novel’s exploration of patriarchal power?

The revelation of Ji-won’s brain tumor introduces questions of agency and culpability. How does this medical explanation interact with the novel’s broader themes of inherited trauma and cultural violence? To what extent does the tumor serve as a metaphor rather than an explanation?

How does the novel employ dreams and hallucinations to explore the boundaries between reality and perception? What is the significance of these psychological states in relation to Ji-won’s increasing violence?

How does the novel engage with and subvert traditional horror tropes? Consider specifically its treatment of consumption and psychological deterioration in relation to the genre’s conventions.

How does the text employ food and eating as literary devices beyond the central motif of eye consumption? What do various eating practices reveal about cultural identity, power dynamics, and psychology?

How does the novel engage with questions of narrative reliability? Consider how Ji-won’s perspective shapes readers’ understanding of events and other characters, particularly in light of her deteriorating mental state.

How does the text present the relationship between violence and empowerment? Consider particularly how Ji-won’s actions both resist and perpetuate cycles of violence and control.

Examine the role of objects (the paper flowers, George’s watch, Geoffrey’s chopsticks) as carriers of symbolic meaning. How do these objects contribute to the novel’s exploration of cultural appropriation and power dynamics?