Answers to the 5 Questions

Laura asked “Why is the empire called, the "Empire," instead of given a specific name?”

It seems to me that generic names for locations in novels make it easier for the reader to apply their own experience to the novel and relate more to the story. It also gives the effect of the Empire being so pervasive that this is the only name that the residents of the Empire require, or could conceive for it. Additionally, it sounds authoritarian and ominous.

Sarah asked, “Why do the Magistrate’s views on the barbarians differ so greatly from the rest of the officials of the Empire?”

The magistrate lives with the daily reality of the barbarians. At this frontier town, the barbarians are a fact of life, an entity that directly affects the Magistrate. To the officials of the Empire, they are some far-off, nebulous, dangerous group that must be handled firmly. The Magistrate views them much more humanely, which he must do because they are a concrete part of his world. The officials of the Empire need only address their notions of what the barbarians represent.

John asked, “Does the C.P. Cavafy poem (also titled "Waiting for the Barbarians") suggest why their absence is more powerful than their attack?”

I just read this poem right now, but I’m going to take a shot at answering this question anyway. The poem tells a story about an empire in which the lawmakers emperor, distinguished people, and citizens all pause their lives and wait for the barbarians to arrive so they can greet them civilly, with all the trappings of life in this grand empire. Perhaps in order for an empire to be important, it needs an adversary, someone to fight or impress. In their absence, the empire serves no purpose. This could explain why the Empire goes out to find the barbarians- the officials need a purpose, and the barbarians’ absence removes the purpose.

Nicki asked, “Why does the magistrate find it necessary to risk everything in order to bring the girl back to "her people"?  What is he proving, and to who is he proving it?”

It seems that the Magistrate makes the risky choice to bring her back to her people as an act of liberty. He frees her from her life in his home and also frees himself from the strange relationship he has with her. Furthermore, it is an act of penance for allowing the old man to die under his watch. To return the woman is his way of making up for that death.

Andrew asked, “What is the purpose of failing to name most characters or places, or even the time period, in this novel?”

This question is similar to Laura’s, but reading it reminded me of another point I hadn’t considered, so I wanted to include this question as well. Not naming characters, places, time periods, and other identifiers is a hallmark of dystopian literature. Remember The Giver, for example, which many students read around the age of 9 or 10. This technique is powerful because it lets readers project whatever they need to project in order to absorb the story in a way that meshes with their notions of the world. The ambiguity that is inherent to this technique means that the story could be about anything- it could be a situation that has already occurred in our world, is occurring now, or could occur in the future. All of these are equally anxiety-producing possibilities.