53 pages • 1 hour read
Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
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Essay Topics
Throughout the novel. Sara is obsessed with fitting into her red dress for her television appearance. What does this dress signify to Sara? How does it correspond to her addiction to TV, and later to diet pills? Does her obsession with the American Dream of fame coincide with the text’s understanding of addiction?
Selby Jr. uses deep point of view, often rapidly switching from third-person to first-person, adopting a different narrative tone and voice for each character. How does this impact the characterization of the novel’s protagonists? How does it help the reader understand their thoughts, reactions, and motivations throughout the novel?
Trace the progress of Harry, Tyrone, and Marion’s addiction throughout the novel. What role do denial and self-deception play in their gradual decline?
The New York Boroughs in which the bulk of Requiem for a Dream takes place are both integrated and divided along racial lines, but Harry and Tyrone find a much different situation in the Southern states in Chapter 9. How does the geography of segregation shape the narrative and the themes of the novel?
Midway through the novel, Tyrone is arrested and thrown in a holding cell with an “old dope fiend.” The symbol of the old man haunts the protagonists throughout the remainder of the novel. What does the old man represent to Harry and Tyrone? To what extent does he prefigure their downfalls?
How does Marion’s middle-class background affect her views on the predicaments that the protagonists face? Is class a strong factor in developing her character vis-à-vis the other protagonists?
In Requiem for a Dream, Selby Jr.’s depiction of New York City ranges from loving and romantic depictions of its streets to brutal and scathing indictments of its dangers and iniquities. What role does the setting of New York play in the novel? How does it impact the characters’ actions and the ways they interact with the world?
Analyze Sara’s addiction to television. How does it contribute to her mental decline? What extent, if any, do Harry’s neglect and the structural inequity of the medical system play in Sara’s downfall?
When Harry visits Sara in Chapter 3, he is stricken with conflicted feelings concerning her. Examine this interaction, keeping Harry and Sara’s overall relationship in mind. What does it reveal about Harry?
Selby Jr. contended that the “dream” in Requiem for a Dream refers to the failure of the American Dream for many people. What is the American Dream for each of the protagonists? How do their lives fail to live up to these dreams? To what extent is this failure their fault, and to what extent can blame be assigned to society?
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