You can't discuss Going Bovine without addressing death—you know, since it's a story about a kid dying of mad cow disease and all. Plus, throughout the book we get a smattering of people's philosophies on life and death, our world and the afterlife. But the most important aspect of mortality that the book deals with is how Cameron's perspective on life changes as he learns how to deal with the fact that he's dying. Yup, you heard us: Cameron has to die in order to learn how to live. It's kind of a bummer, but at least Libba Bray is an expert at dark humor.
Questions About Mortality
- Does Cameron put a lot of stock in religion and it's views on the afterlife? Why or why not? Compare and contrast his relationship to religion and the afterlife with another character's take.
- Do Cameron's views on death change as the story progresses? If so, how and what does this tell you about his character? If not, why not and what does this clue you in on about Cam?
- Cam gets advice about living from a lot of different people. Who are they, and how are their messages different? Are there any similarities? If so, what are they? If not, what affect does this have on the theme of death in the book?
- What is up with the end? Is he in Heaven? A parallel dimension? Disney World? State your claim and back it with evidence from the text.
Chew on This
If Cameron hadn't contracted mad cow disease he would never have hallucinated his epic quest, and therefore would never have learned how amazing life can be—so dying made him appreciate life.
Cameron would have eventually figured out that life isn't worth living as a disgruntled misanthrope—dude didn't need to die in order to learn to value life.