Cloud Mountain Reading Guide
Discussion Questions
- How does Hope’s mixed-race ancestry influence her decision to marry Paul?
- How does Paul’s revolutionary zeal affect his decision to marry Hope?
- Why does Paul discourage Hope from writing articles based on the stories he tells her?
- What does Paul mean when he calls the politics of the early Chinese Republic a “mirror game”?
- Do Hope and Paul share the same view of Dr. Sun Yat-sen as hero of the Chinese Revolution?
- Why does Jin become estranged from his father, even as he grows closer to Hope?
- Why does Hope feel that she can neither trust nor ignore her friend Sarah?
- Why does Sarah say that race matters more in Shanghai than anywhere else?
- Why does Hope hate Paul’s pet phrase, “mei fatse”?
- What does Paul mean when he calls Hope his “middle ground”?
- Is Hope’s relationship with Stephen Mann an indication of her weakness or her strength?
- Why does Nai-li insist that Hope be present for her death and funeral?
- Does Borodin trap Paul, or does Paul allow himself to be placed under house arrest in Wuchang?
- Why can’t Hope reveal her true role in Paul’s rescue?
- When does Hope decide what her reply to Paul’s 1939 letter must be?