The List

The language of List is limited to 500 words, including words like “scavenger.” How do you think the approved words were evaluated and selected? Why is a word like “scavenger” permissible when words like “hope” and “love” are forbidden?

Describe the relationship between John Noa and Benjamin. How did it begin, why did it change, and how does it end? Why is Noa so shocked that Benjamin betrayed him?

Discuss the similarities between John Noa and the city of Ark, and the biblical story of Noah and the Ark that he built to escape the flood. What purpose does this allusion serve the larger plot?