The
beach
|
Book
| Movie
| Discussion
questions
|
Book:
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Movie:
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Discussion
questions:
1.
The book and the movie The Beach
deal with the ultimate dream of
every traveler: finding the perfect
place or paradise, which is a place
unspoilt by tourism. What is the
difference between a traveler and a
tourist? Do the main characters in
the book think of themselves as travelers
or tourists? What effect did both
the book and the movie have on
tourism and traveling? What do you
think Alex Garland thinks of
backpack traveling and tourism?
2.
It
is obvious that the beach is not
such a perfect place and has a very
dark side to it. For one, you can
never leave. Contact with the
outside world is restricted because
it would corrupt the community. People
even die in order to keep the
location of the beach secret. This
mentality seems rather primitive. Do
you think the community of the beach
is primitive one and has returned to
the basic human instincts of
survival, like in Lord of the Flies?
Explain why or why not.
3.
Sal
is the leader of the community. How
would you describe her leadership
style? What is her power based on?
How important do you think she is to
the community? Who are the other
main members of the community and
what are their roles?
4.
Drugs
are used in the community and also
among the other backpackers. Do you
think the Beach is pro-drugs or
anti-drugs and why?
5.
Everybody
in the community has an assigned
task. In the book, Richard has to
help Jed patrol the island and
conduct the 'rice runs' to the
mainland. What do you think is the
role of Jed in the book? The
character of Jed doesn't appear in
the movie at all. Why do you think
the scriptwriter left his character
out of the movie? If you were the
scriptwriter, would you have made
the same decision? Why or why not?
6.
Richard
makes a journey through the story.
What do you think Richard has learnt
from his journey and how? What do
you think Alex Garland wants us to
learn from Richard's journey?
7.
In the movie, "love" has
been highlighted as one of the major
themes of Richard's journey. He
falls in love - just as in the book
– with the beautiful Françoise,
however in the movie he ends up with
her. In the movie he also makes love
to Sal. What do you think of the way
love was portrayed in the movie?
What role did love play in Richard's
life in the book?
Do
you want to discuss this book or
others? Join
the group.
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