Pincher Martin

In what ways do the rock, the creatures that inhabit it, and other environmental challenges reflect qualities of Martin’s twisted psyche?

How does the novel work as a meta-commentary on survival narratives? How does it resemble traditional “lost at sea” narratives, and how does it depart from or comment on the genre’s conventions?

At any point in the book, did you guess its ending or suspect that not everything was as it seemed? If so, how could you tell? If not, try to identify plot developments or quotations signaling that Martin is already dead.

How do some of the most toxic elements of Martin’s psyche help him survive on the rock? What does that say about survival more generally?

Aside from British Navy nickname traditions, why does Martin have the name “Pincher”? How does Martin resemble a pinching animal like the lobster, and what does his calling it a “filthy sea-beast” say about him?

Why do you think Golding never details Martin’s cellar-related trauma? Do you wish he had? What might be his reasons for withholding this information?

Do you think Martin loves anybody in his life? Mary? Nathaniel? Or is he thoroughly misanthropic by the time he washes up on the rock?

How is Nathaniel’s lecture on the “technique of dying” relevant to the book’s themes? Why do you think images from the lecture, including heaven, the black lightning, and the negation of the self, accompany the disintegration of Martin’s delusion?