Invitation to a Beheading

How do Cincinnatus’s relationships with Rodion and Rodrig evolve over the course of his time in the fortress? How do these changing relationships track with the development of the novel’s themes?

Besides Cincinnatus, Marthe and Cecilia are the only main characters in the novel who aren’t bureaucrats. Do you think either of them would be considered a model citizen in their society? Why or why not?

How does the novel explore The Duality of Life Under Totalitarianism? Consider the dualities of life and death, reality and unreality, or freedom and confinement, and track how these dualities merge and diverge across the narrative.

The spider and the fortress are two key symbols in the novel. Select another symbol from the narrative and analyze its relationship to one or more of the novel’s themes.

Cincinnatus struggles to finish a novel and he struggles to put his own thoughts into writing. Why? What role does the written word play in the narrative, and how does it help develop the novel’s themes?

Is Cincinnatus a tragic character? Why or why not? How does the absurdity of the novel alter your perception of its tragedy?

Pierre lies about his identity when he first meets Cincinnatus. How does this lie illuminate the world Cincinnatus inhabits? How does it relate to The Brittleness of Reality?

What is the state’s relationship to tradition in Invitation to a Beheading? Do you think the novel is specifically commenting on the role of tradition within a totalitarian state, or is it critiquing tradition more generally? Support your answer with textual evidence.