Chapter 12: The Rendezvous Point

When Theo saw his father on an old TV show, he tells us that the "multiple ironies of this were so layered and uncanny that I gaped in horror." What are some of the ironies?

On p. 702, Theo outlines his father's world view and it echoes in various parts of the chapter. What are the flaws in his view? What actually makes sense?

How is the advertisement quote on p. 707 germane to the story? 

Theo is worried about being hunted by the bad guys, he is worried about where Boris might be, his phone is dead, his passport is missing, the Embassy office is closing for the holidays...what are his options?

"The Old Masters, they were never wrong." This is an allusion. Find out what it is , where it comes from, and how it is significant here.

Did Theo's mother's spirit actually visit him, or was it all just a fever-induced dream? What do you think? Explain.

"First rule of restorations: Never do what you can't undo." What is meant by this reference to Hobie's professional code? How is it significant?

"...good doesn't always follow from good deeds, nor bad deeds result from bad, does it? [...] What if our bad and mistakes are the very thing that set our fate and bring us round to good?" Do you agree with Boris's assessment here? How does this play out in the story? How many ways?

"And isn't the whole point of things -- beautiful things -- that they connect you to some larger beauty? Those first images that crack your heart wide open and you spend the rest of your life chasing something to recapture, in one way or another?" Have you ever felt this way about any form of art? If so, tell about it. 

After Hobie's speech about art, Theo tells Hobie that he sounds like Theo's dad. In what ways is Hobie more like a dad than Theo's actual father? 

How do you feel about the final state of Theo's relationship with Kitsey? with Pippa? Do they make sense to you? 

Theo spends a lot of time describing the painting and its significance at the end of the novel. What stands out to you in this section? What makes the most sense to you? 

Is life catastrophe? Is Theo right? If so, is it "possible to play it with a kind of joy"?

How was Amsterdam Theo's Damascus? What does he mean by this? 

Is there truth beyond illusion? Is there a "middle zone, a rainbow edge where beauty come into being"? Is this where love exists? 

"And in the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn't touch." This seems to be one of the bigger ideas in the novel. What are your thoughts on this quote and how it plays out in the novel?

Chapter 11: The Gentleman's Canal

Explain your understanding of the quote by Nietzsche on p. 639. What does it mean? How does it fit in with the story?

Boris's plan is sketchy and largely unexplained. Why does Theo jump in so quickly with relatively few questions?

Again, there seems to be a final goodbye to Pippa. What does Theo's "tableau" show us?

p. 649 Amsterdam is described as being "like a place where you might come to let the water close over your head." Is this foreshadowing? Explain.

During their breakfast meeting after arriving in Amsterdam, Boris becomes somewhat menacing. Why does he seem so unpredictable and criminal in this scene? What makes it so menacing?

Why, with all the potential danger, is Boris concerned with a parking ticket?

The retrieval of the painting seemed to go too smoothly. How might that have foreshadowed the chaos that was to ensue in the parking garage?

p. 695 "Time destroys us all soon enough. But to destroy, or lose, a deathless thing -- to break bonds stronger than the temporal -- was a metaphysical uncoupling all its own, a startling new flavor of despair." Thoughts on this quote? How is it significant?

Why does Theo think of his father at the end of the chapter? How does that fit with the scene? What does that last sentence mean to you?

And what about the passport that was left in the car...?

Chapter 10: The Idiot

What's surprising about the engagement of Theo and Kitsey? What does the china shopping tell you about their relationship? Does he seem to be in love as deeply as he says he is? Evidence? 

Do you find it as odd as Theo does that Kitsey doesn't show sadness about Andy and her father's deaths?

On p. 524, the first full paragraph (A shot...) seems to be an important moment. How so? And how is that moment ruined in the next three pages? 

Theo randomly runs into Boris for the first time in years. What is different about their interaction? What is the same? 

As we read about Boris's life in the Polish bar, what hasn't changed with him? What significant changes do you see? What do you find surprising? 

Why do you think it took Popchik to turn Boris's attitude around? 

What is ironic about Boris's tattoos? How do they differ from one another? 

How believable is Boris's initial story about the painting? Why is this such a betrayal to Theo even though he had stolen it himself? The allusion to Dr. No...is it significant here? 

What does it say about Boris that he brought Popper back? How solid is his explanation for taking the painting? What is most believable about his explanation? What makes that part believable? 

On p. 568, what is symbolic about Theo's knots and cuffs? 

Characterize Horst...what type of person is he? Don't describe him...tell me what kind of person he is and how you came to that conclusion.

After Theo sees Tom Cable and Kitsey together, why does Theo seem so amazed that Kitsey is crying? Why do you think she's crying at that point?

Do you agree with Boris's assessment and advice about Kitsey on p. 594? How does it match up with Kitsey's assessment of their relationship?

In section xxiii of this chapter, Theo ties his situation with Kitsey into his situation with the painting. What is the connection? What brings this to mind for Theo?

How is the surprise appearance of Pippa ironic at this point in the story?

There is this undeniably deep connection between Theo and Pippa that is highlighted after the movie while they are talking at the restaurant. Why do you think Pippa doesn't seem to be romantically interested...or at least as interested as Theo?

At the party it becomes clear that Hobie knows Lucius and Havistock. Do you find this odd? Is it a coincidence that they are back in his life, if only on the periphery?

When leaving with Boris at the end of this section, there is a sense of finality in Theo's goodbyes to Hobie and Kitsey...and the absent Pippa. What makes it seem like such a final goodbye here? 

Chapter 9: Everything of Possibility

How do you think the quote under Section IV fits in with the story? Explain.

What is significant about Andy's (and his dad's) death? Why does it hit Theo so hard?

What is ironic about Andy's death? What makes his father's death equally ironic?

Why do you think Mrs. Barbour is so excited to see Theo when she was so reserved in the past?

Why do you think Theo practices the sketchy business practices that he does?

p. 462 "She was the missing kingdom, the unbruised part of myself I'd lost with my mother." What does this suggest about Theo's obsession with Pippa?

Why does Theo trust Platt to help him deceive  Lucius? Do you feel as confident that Platt will come through as Theo is? And what is significant about the name Lucius?

After the dinner with Lucius is over, do you think Lucius walked away confident that he was right? If not, what changed his mind? Why are the accusations so ludicrous to Theo?

Considering that his reputation would be trashed forever, Hobie takes Theo's confession pretty calmly. Why? Shouldn't he be more angry?

Chapter 8: The Shop-behind-the-Shop, continued

Why isn't Theo excited about his early college admission? Why does he feel bad that Hobie is excited? And why doesn't he try once he's there? And why not live in the dorm? Most high school students would leap at that opportunity.

Theo enjoys the detailed workings of Hobie's shop Why does he remember so many details about the shop and so few about school?

Why is Theo so upset at the state of the building he used to live in? What does its renovation symbolize?

The Goldfinch: Chapter 7 (The Shop-Behind-the Shop)

When Theo wakes up, he says he feels like he has entered another universe. Has he? Explain.

Theo states that he fears his alcohol and drug use has damaged his brain -- and maybe even his soul. Is there any evidence of this? How has his behavior changed without using those things?

Boris texts Theo from the MGM Grand. Based on the conversation, why might it be a good thing that this is the last time Theo hears from Boris for a long time? 

Why do you think Theo was so upset after his initial call to Bracegirdle?

What is it about Pippa that makes Theo feel so happy and comforted? What do you make of her having to attend such a boarding school? Why does Aunt Margaret want her so badly if she's just going to send her off to school in Switzerland? 

Theo seems to suggest that his mother may have had an affair with Bracegirdle. If that's true, does that change anything? And if it is true, how might that change the relationship between Bracegirdle and Theo?

What had Welty given to Theo besides the ring?

Many of you have recently endured the stress of standardized testing for college placement (ACT, SAT). These tests can determine college admission, as well as scholarship and grant opportunities. Theo takes tests that appear to have even more importance attached to them. In what ways are they more important for him than for the average student?

The pressure is mounting for Theo as far as the painting is concerned. No he realizes that he has put Hobie at risk. So why hasn't he more actively tried to figure out what to do with it yet? 

The Goldfinch: Chapter 6 (Wind, Sand and Stars)

There is no doubt that Boris and Theo -- uncared for and unwatched by any adults -- are both coping with the pain in their lives with self-medication and a mildly lawless attitude towards life. Now that Boris has a girlfriend, Theo begins to move away from that lifestyle more and spends more time with his father. Who appears to be more healthy for Theo, Boris or his father? Explain with support. 

Tartt uses a lot of profane language in this section, largely in the interactions between Theo and Boris. In my creative writing class, I make it clear that if student writers are going to use profanity, that it must be purposeful. Seeing as this novel won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Literature, the writer must have demonstrated some important need for this type of language. If you were Tartt and you were in my creative writing class, how would you defend your use of that language? What purpose does it have to the story? How does it make the reader feel? How does it characterize these two boys? Is this, like any good novel, a mirror of the world as we know it? If so, how does language play into that, especially the violent, ugly nature of the language these two young men use towards each other? 

Mr. Silver's first visit causes some anxiety for Theo, though his father kind of blows it off. Boris knows it could be big trouble, but it doesn't really seem to bother him much, either. Should there be concern? If so, how much?

Allusion Alert: Hart Crane poem and Silas Marner. Check them out. How might they be significant to the story?

Why do you think Theo keeps getting the painting out and looking at it...then wrapping it back up and putting it back? Why is he suddenly more paranoid about its safety?

Are you surprised by anything from Theo's conversation with Mr. Bracegirdle? What do we learn about Theo's father in this scene? 

Theo loses his father and Boris in quick succession, though in very different ways. Why does he regret the loss of Boris more? Why does he say that it was better that he didn't take Boris with him? Do you think it's better? 

While in many ways Boris was not good for Theo, I would argue that in many ways he was good for Theo. Theo has a knack for meeting strangers who are good for him. How is the magic cabbie good for him? The bus driver? What might have happened without these two strangers?

Why does Theo feel the painting is like a "holy icon"? How does it protect him? 

Do you agree with Xandra -- that Theo is more like his father than he knows? What evidence of that have we seen so far? 

The Goldfinch: Chapter 5 (Badr al-Dine)

Goldie seems to be rushing Theo out of the vicinity of the building. If you get that sense, too, explain why you think that's so.

Mrs. Barbour air-kisses Theo when he is leaving. While she appears cold and uncaring by doing this, Theo notes that it's the first time she has expressed this kind of affection towards him. Looking at this scene, what do you think her behavior suggests?

Theo's father gives him champagne and, later, some anxiety medication (not named at this point, but potent, nonetheless). What does this show us about the father? What does it show us about Theo, considering that he took and liked both?

What does Xandra's treatment of the dog tell you about her?

Given what you know about their lifestyle thus far, what type of life are Xandra and Theo's father leading in Las Vegas? Where are they on the socioeconomic ladder? How do their gambling habits show this? Their self-medicating habits? The hushed phone calls?

Theo mentions that the other Honors English class is reading Great Expectations. Find a synopsis of that novel (SparkNotes) and see how that story lines up with the story of Theo so far. His class is reading Walden instead. Why that book? Why does Tartt use these allusions?

What is it about Boris that makes him the perfect friend for Theo now that he is in Vegas? What do you think Boris enjoys about Theo's presence?

Boris, who had picked pockets in the past, is quick to scold Theo (and adamant) about his plan to steal from drunken tourists. What is his situational morality here? Why is he so against it, calling Theo a "bad citizen"?

Theo's father acted really weird about the first letter Hobie sent. Why do you think he acted so oddly? What might he be expecting from New York?

Theo finds a lot of Boris's life interesting, but some of the stuff Boris has experienced is just plain foreign to Theo (forgive the pun), and a lot of it Theo finds to be just plain disturbing. What do you find disturbing about Boris's life, both past and present?

There is a subtle shift in the relationship between Theo and Xandra at Thanksgiving. What accounts for the change? How long do you think she'll endure Theo?

Another allusion...is there significance to the author's choice of including Wind, Sand and Stars, by Saint-Exupery? Do some research and check it out.

What is The Idiot about? How does this allusion fit in?

Is Boris right...that Theo's dad is not such a bad guy? Or is Theo right...his father just can't be trusted? Explain your thoughts.