62 pages 2 hours read

Samuel Butler

Erewhon

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1872

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Essay Topics

1.

What stereotypes does Butler employ in his descriptions of Chowbok as an Indigenous person, and how do these stereotypes either contribute to or undermine imperialist thought? Is Chowbok a consciously crafted figure of satire, or merely a product of Butler’s own unacknowledged prejudices?

2.

When the narrator arrives in Erewhon, he notes that many things are similar to England. What similarities does he note, and how do these serve to connect the reader with the Erewhonians?

3.

How does the narrator navigate the culture and language barriers he encounters when he first comes to Erewhon? How are these methods indicative of English culture, and is the narrator successful in assuaging the concerns of the Erewhonians?