The Glass Palace

Characters throughout The Glass Palace become increasingly politically-minded as the narrative progresses. How do politics manifest in the characters’ lives and can you provide an example of a way in which one character’s political ideology changes over the course of the book?

With many bilingual characters and a story taking place across a number of different countries, language becomes an essential tool of communication in The Glass Palace. How does Ghosh’s prose deal with the linguistic intricacies of characters crossing a linguistic divide? Provide examples of syntax, grammar, and literary devices that portray the fluid, evolving language of the characters.

One way in which the characters in The Glass Palace interact is through food. Explore the ways in which food is used as a motif in the book and the ways in which Ghosh portrays national cuisines in the text.

Dinu is one of the few characters who survives to the end of the novel, though he pays a great cost. Analyze the ways in which the character of Dinu grows throughout the text, particularly in regard to what his changing character means in relation to Burmese independence.

Uma’s growing ideological education marks a turning point in the book; her return from Europe and America introduces many political themes hitherto untouched in the narrative. How do Uma’s political opinions influence the other characters in the novel?

The novel derives its title from the Glass Palace. What does the eponymous building mean to different characters and how do they function in relation to the motif?

Dolly, Manju, and Uma all experience motherhood in different ways. In what ways do these experiences alter or influence their characters?

There are very few British characters in The Glass Palace, though the influence of the British is a motivating factor for much of the plot. How do these small glimpses of the colonizing forces provide insight into the conditions of the Empire? Particularly, what can we learn from the British characters and how they interact with their colonial subjects?