Cloud Atlas

What role do the varying types of media play in Cloud Atlas? Cite the text in your response.

How does the comet birthmark unite the characters across time and space? What does it represent?

Ayrs’s composition Eternal Recurrence speaks to many of the novel’s ideas regarding reincarnation. How does Frobisher react to these ideas?

How does the novel explore the ways that slavery and abolitionism have evolved over the course of history?

How does Cloud Atlas portray the interconnectedness of the past, the present, and the future? Cite the text in your response.

The various stories in Cloud Atlas feature very different stakes. Which character faces the highest stakes? Who faces the lowest stakes? Why?

Several times, Goose refers to how the strong prey on the weak. How do the novel’s events reflect his statement, both literally and figuratively? How does the novel challenge the sentiment?

Characters succeed in varying degrees in Cloud Atlas. Which character succeeds the most? Which character sacrifices the most?