General Questions:

• To what extent does Paul embody the ideals of Nietzsche's Ubermensch?
• What is Paul's view of ethics?
• To what extent is Paul a product of his childhood? --his embrace of Nietzscheanism?
• What ultimately is the impact of Paul's incident with his sister Paula?
• What is Paul's "great idea" and why does he not act on it?
• Why does Paul become increasingly paranoic at book's end?
• Why is the book entitled Life of a Jellyfish?
• Does Paul find happiness at book's end?

Specific Questions:

• What do the fleas and scratching represent?
• Explain the significance of the scene with the portly mid-aged man at Mitchell's.
• What is the significance of Paul being "descriptively accurate"?
• Does Paul enjoy doing philosophy?
• Why are so many things "annoyances" to Paul?
• What is "being alive" for Paul?
• What is "polite conversation" for Paul?
• What is the significance of the Gyges incident at the brewpub?
• Why does Paul refer to himself as A-Paul?
• Why does Paul think of his mother in the nursing home as a stalk of celery?
• How does he react to the death of his mother?
• Why does Paul think he is going to die after his misadventure at Mitchell's?
• What is the meaning of Paul's banquet-table dream?
• What does the "Drunken Song" mean to Paul?

Chapter 1: What is the first impression one gets of Bob?

Chapter 2: Describe Bob's bed. Describe Bob. Why was Rachel not a suitable match for Bob? Is Bob's bed a more suitable match for him?

Chapter 3: What does the dinner party at the Rudd's tell you about Bob?

Chapter 4: Critically discuss Anna's dream. --Bob's Hotel-Bob dream.

Chapter 5: Why is Bob so much into dream analysis? How does Bob know just what the old man (i.e., the one who accidentally killed his parents) looked liked, even though he has never met him?

Chapter 6: How does Anna view a real home? Does she really like the States?

Chapter 7: Why does Bob detest his new client Frank? What is his view of the sofa-couch?

Chapter 8: Critically discuss Bob's list of "intolerable things to do". Is his attempt to begin his dream book sincere or farcical? What is Bob's Oedipal moment?

Finally: Why is the book called "Hotel Bob"?

Chapter 2

• Why does Father Pat pretend that the door leading to the altar of the church is locked?
• What is the priest's point, when he gives his sermon on John 3:16?
• How does the priest behave towards his parishioners?
• What is the priest's attitude towards the Pelfs? --towards old Mrs. Gunther?
• What is the significance of Father Pat's harness dream? Is there a Sysiphusian slant to it?
• What does the priest's passion for weightlifting represent?

Chapter 3

• Is Father Pat's attraction to Tanya merely physical?
• What is the priest's point about living as efficiently as possible?
• Why is the priest reluctant to have sex with Tanya?

Chapter 4

• What is Tanya's early life story?

Chapter 5

• Describe Sean.
• Critically discuss the nature of the discussion Sean and Father Pat have about god.
• What is Sean's point about the large replica of a Minoan axe?
• How does Sean's interest in the existence of deity differ from that of the priest?

Chapter 6

• Describe Sean the morning after his drunken bout.
• Ultimately, why can't the priest take Sean's sensible arguments seriously?

Chapter 7

• What is Father Pat's beef with deity? Why does the priest see deity always as pulling strings?
• Discuss the priest's dream about heaven.

Chapter 8

• Describe Father's Pat's father and the priest's relationship to him. What is the relationship between Sean and his father? State key similarities and differences between the two. How is fatalism related to alcoholism?
• Why does the priest read Matthew I.18-25 on Father's Day? What is the meaning of his sermon?

Chapter 9

• How does the priest get into trouble with the archdiocese? Why was he behaving incautiously?

Chapter 10

• Where does the priest find himself after excommunication?
• To what extent has he resolved his tension with the Puppeteer?
• Why does he go back to see Tanya? Why did he leave her in the first place?
• What does Tanya's cats-fighting dream represent?
• Precisely how did Pat resolve his tension with deity? Was it really tension with deity at all or merely tension with his father?
• What are his plans for the future? Are they simple or complex?
• What reasons do you have, if any, for thinking Pat and Tanya's future plans to be a success?