Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days

Carpathia claims to be a proponent of denuclearization, and the novel foreshadows the effects of nuclear power in the subsequent books in the series. How does the threat of nuclear war function in Left Behind, and what effect does it have on the novel’s tone?

How are women represented in Left Behind? Compare and contrast the key aspects of Chloe and Hattie’s character traits and examine the ways in which the authors exhibit a bias towards the primacy of male characters throughout the novel.

How does the inclusion of religious explanations within the narrative relate to the novel’s theme of The Balance Between Skepticism and Faith, and how do the authors employ dialogue to articulate this ongoing debate?

Buck, Chloe, and Rayford all think of themselves as intelligent and must put aside their critical views of religion in order to achieve a conversion to Christianity. How does the novel describe faith in relation to intellectualism? Use key examples from the text to support your interpretation.

Many settings in the novel invoke images of transition. How are these settings characterized, and how do they affect the tone of the novel? Include at least three different settings in your analysis.

The authors’ foreshadowing of Carpathia’s evil occurs primarily in the characters’ discussions of biblical prophecy and their moments of speculation. Based on Carpathia’s actions within this novel alone, how is he characterized? Aside from the overt act of murder at the end of the novel, what evidence from his dialogue and actions foreshadows his evil identity?

How does Left Behind employ or subvert tropes of secular apocalypse narratives?

How does the novel characterize journalism and the role of the media?