Study Guide

The Garden of Eden

Ernest Hemingway
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46 pages • 1-hour read

Ernest Hemingway

The Garden of Eden

Ernest Hemingway
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1986

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Essay Topics

1.

Catherine’s constant search for a new identity motivates many of her actions. How does Catherine identify herself? Does she like this identity?

2.

How does David’s fiction play an important role in his life?

3.

How does The Garden of Eden use a secluded beach as a metaphor?

4.

David nicknames Marita “Heiress.” Is this a compliment? Does he intend it to be a compliment?

5.

How does the novel explore and challenge the idea of binaries?

6.

The border between France and Spain is a physical separation between two countries. How does this border echo the novel’s themes?

7.

In what ways do David and Catherine challenge traditional ideas of marriage and relationships?

8.

How does David’s quiet stoicism develop throughout the novel?

9.

David, Catherine, and Marita are so focused on themselves that they lose touch with the outside world. How does the outside world make itself present in their narrative? How do the characters react?

10.

By the end of the novel, David and Marita are together. Catherine is absent but promises to return. To what extent have any characters grown or changed during the course of The Garden of Eden?

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