It's just a fact that things die. Most depictions of death are sad and sentimental. Those loved ones are lost forever. However, in Pnin, they're never too far from the present. Sure, Pnin has to have a seizure in order for them to keep him company, but it almost feels like his dead friends and family are more close to him than the people around him.
Questions About Death
- Which characters in Pnin are associated with death? Which are associated with life?
- How is death depicted in Pnin? Does this differ from traditional depictions of death? If so, how?
- Why do you think Pnin hallucinates about dead people? Are there any times where he hallucinates about living people? If so, when?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Death is everywhere in Pnin.
Death is something only in the past in Pnin.