The World Played Chess

How do the lessons Vincent Bianco learns from William Goodman in the summer of 1979 influence Vincent’s parenting?

What is the role of William’s journal in the novel? In what way(s) is this journal important metaphorically and structurally?

What is the role of dreams in this novel? How do dreams, those we’ve yet to achieve and those we’ve abandoned, develop an important theme in the novel?

Analyze William’s journey away from and back to religion and faith. How is this related to his development as a character?

One of Dugoni’s central concerns in this novel is the path boys take to become men. What issues of masculinity does he explore in the process? Do any of the concerns apply to women as well?

Dugoni makes a point of connecting William’s time in Vietnam with the Tet Offensive. Do some research about this episode in the war and its aftermath and consider what Dugoni gains by making it central to William’s story.

William and Vincent’s relationship develops at a construction site. Why is this significant? What are the actual and metaphorical ramifications of construction—and its opposite—in the novel?

Why do you think that Dugoni ends William’s story the way that he does? How might you read its inconclusive ending?