Dead Tattooed Tree Society discussion

1. The novel opens with a quote from Oscar Wilde:

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."

How is this sentiment explored in The Night Circus? Who in the novel is a dreamer? And what is their punishment for being so?

2. The novel frequently changes narrative perspective. How does this transition shape your reading of the novel and your connection to the characters and the circus? Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from varied perspectives?

3. The narrative also follows a non-linear sequence—shifting at times from present to past. How effective was this method in regards to revealing conflict in the novel?

4. There are a number of allusions to Shakespeare throughout the text: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and As You Like It. Explain these references—how does each play reveal itself in the novel?

5. What role does time play in the novel? From Friedrick Thiessen’s clock, to the delayed aging of the circus developers, to the birth of the twins—is time manipulated or fated at the circus?

6. How does the following statement apply to both Le Cirque des Reves and the competition? Which audience is more valuable: one that is complicit or one that is unknowing?

"Chandresh relishes reactions. Genuine reactions, not mere polite applause. He often values the reactions over the show itself. A show without an audience is nothing, after all. In the response of the audience, that is where the power of performance lives."

7. Chandresh is portrayed as a brilliant and creative perfectionist at the beginning of the novel, yet he slowly unravels as the competition matures. Is Chandresh merely a puppet of the competition—solely used for his ability to provide a venue for the competition—or do his contributions run deeper?

8. Marco asserts that Alexander H. is a father figure to him (though his paternal instincts aren’t readily noticeable). In what ways does Alexander provide for Marco and in what ways has he failed him?

9. Celia emphasizes that keeping the circus controlled is a matter of “balance.” And Marco suggests that the competition is not a chess game, but rather, a balancing of scales. However, both the circus and the competition get disordered at times—leaving both physical and emotional casualties in their wake. Is the circus ever really in “balance,” or is it a pendulum swinging from one extreme to the next?

10. From the outside, the circus is full of enchantments and delights, but behind the scenes, the delicate push and pull of the competition results in some sinister events: i.e. Tara Burgess and Friedrick Thiessen’s deaths. How much is the competition at fault for these losses and how much is it the individual’s doing?

11. How do you view the morality of the circus in regards to the performers and developers being unknowing pawns in Celia and Marco’s competition? Do Celia and Marco owe an explanation to their peers about their unwitting involvement?

12. Friedrick Thiessen asserts that he thinks of himself “not as a writer so much as someone who provides a gateway, a tangential route for readers to the circus.” He is a voice for those unable to attend the circus and suggests that the circus is bigger than itself. What role do the reveurs play in keeping the spirit of the circus alive outside of the confines of the circus tents?

13. What is Hector’s role in determining the final fate of the competition? He lectures Celia about remaining independent and not interfering with her partner, but ultimately, Hector largely influences the outcome of the competition. Explain this influence.

14. Poppet and Widget are especially affected by the lighting of the bonfire. How crucial are their “specialties” to the ongoing success of the circus?

15. Isobel is a silent, yet integral, partner in both the circus and the competition. She has an ally in Tsukiko, but seemingly no one else, especially not Marco. How much does Marco’s underestimation of Isobel affect the outcome of the competition?

16. How does Isobel serve as a foil to Celia? Who, if anyone, fills that role for Marco?

17. Tsukiko is aware of Isobel’s “tempering of the circus” from the outset and when Isobel worries that it is having no effect, Tsukiko suggests: “perhaps it is controlling the chaos within more than the chaos without.” What, and whose, chaos is Tsukiko alluding to here?

18. Mr. Barris, Friedrick Thiessen, Mme. Padva, and even Bailey are aware that the circus has made a profound, inexplicable, change in their lives, but they each choose not to explore the depth of these changes. Friedrick Thiessen confirms that, “I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark.” Do you agree with this standpoint? What inherent dangers accompany a purposeful ignorance? What dangers present themselves when ignorance is not chosen? Is one choice better/safer than the other or are they equally fraught?

19. Celia tells Bailey that he is “not destined or chosen” to be the next proprietor of the circus. He is simply “in the right place at the right time…and care[s] enough to do what needs to be done. Sometimes that’s enough.” In this situation, is that “enough?” Can the responsibility of maintaining the circus be trusted to just anyone, or unlike Celia suggests, is Bailey truly special?

20. At the closing of the novel, we are left to believe that the circus is still traveling—Bailey’s business card provides an email address as his contact information. How do you think the circus would fare over time? Would the circus need to evolve to suit each generation or is it distinctive enough to transcend time?

Discussion questions provided by www.litlovers.com

Here's my take at the discussion:

1. There are so many that are dreamers in this story. I definitely believe Celia and Marco become dreamers as the story goes on and they definitely pay the ultimate price of falling in love. Poppet and Widget are absolutely dreamers but they don't know anything but the circus. The circus itself seems like a dream for everyone that visits it so they are in this constant state of dreaming. I believe the biggest dreamer of all is Bailey of course. I don't know if I consider his fate a punishment but after time it may begin to feel that way.

2. At first it was hard for me to keep up with the constant change in time line and character perspective but as the book went on I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt it kept the story interesting and always something happening. It was interesting to see the different perspectives of the same events from different people. Mostly the time when the bonfire was put out. I couldn't stop reading at that point because I was so into how each person perceived it differently.

3. I believed it created a larger build up to keep going back and forth. I looked forward to when the events lined up together.

4. I don't know if I know enough about Shakespeares works to actually have caught many of these references or their hidden meanings.

5. Time is everywhere in this novel. I LOVE the symbolism of the large clock and just of how important Thiessen became to the circus. I was really intrigued by the delayed aging of the performers and even the immortality of the man in the grey suit. It makes the story feel timeless to me, even though the years are clearly depicted on every chapter.

6. Oh wow, I believe honestly for both the circus and the competition both types of audience are almost necessary. For the circus it needed the help of people that were willing to manipulate it in secret to keep it going but also the unknowing to keep it magical. Almost the same for the competition. Those that were unaware just saw magic in the different tents and bonfire and everything.

7. At first I was really intrigued by his character but as it went on I do actually believe he was just a man that was manipulated and used for his abilities to provide a venue for this grande idea. I actually felt very bad for his character once he had deteriorated so much from it all.

8. I feel like of course he would be considered a father figure. He provided him with culture and he probably did love him, just on a different level. He maybe didn't have the best intentions for his future but I don't believe he was malicious about it. I think A.H. was caught up in the game.

9. I do believe it is balanced probably for many many years during it's success. I just think when things started getting a bit out of control is when maybe the scale was tipped a bit too much to one side than the other.

10. This was something I pondered a lot while reading. Those deaths are still a bit of a mystery to me, but I think that's what makes this book so good. It doesn't solve everything that was mysterious throughout the book.

11. I feel like if they would've known it wouldn't have been as successful as it was. I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do but honestly it probably was for the success of the competition (if you could say that) but mostly of the circus as a whole.

12. I believe their love for the circus and spreading the word was best for keeping it going for as long as it did. Word of mouth is the best advertisement ever and they provided that. Plus the splash of red they displayed added to the magic of it all. It's always fun finding others that love the same things as you do.

13. I believe much like A.H. Hector had a hard time separating himself from the competition. Their lives have revolved around it. I don't know if he could have separated himself from interfering even if he tried.

14. I believe Poppet and Widget are the circus. They were born at such an important part of it all. While it was all starting. They are almost one with the circus, one seeing the past and one seeing the future. They also probably helped save the future of it by befriending Bailey and seeing him in their future.

15. It's a true story of a woman scorned. Once he told her he didn't actually love her she put wheels into motion that eventually created some very drastic events. She no longer cared about what kind of actions it might create.

16. I believe Friedrick Thiessen possibly could've been the foil in Marco's character. He was very close and drawn to Celia, I actually believed he loved her and she probably loved him to some extent, just not the same as Marco.

17. The chaos might be the competiton. Since Tsukiko knows about it and the craziness it ensues. She probably saw that it was finally going to spiral towards the end of the competition, which of course is the ultimate goal.

18. I think when anyone is scared of the unknown it's easier to just turn a blind eye to it and put on a happy face. It's safer to just immerse yourself into the magical aspect of it and not know the dangerous, dark magic that is happening underneath. It preserves the enchanting part of it all.

19. I think Bailey was chosen in some ways. Things happen for a reason. He went into that circus when he was young and happened to see Poppet for some reason. Maybe she already knew he was going to be an important part of it all. Who knows what the stars hold. But I also believe he is young enough to embrace the magical feeling of it all and love it all enough to run it, with the help of the twins I think it was brilliant.

20. I think an idea like this would always remain fun and interesting throughout the time. Parents would take their kids and so on and so on throughout time. I feel something like this is timeless, classic and always wonderful. I would love to see something like this in my real life!!!