Stranger Than Fiction: After-Viewing Discussion Questions - schs

Stranger Than Fiction:
After-Viewing Discussion Questions
Themes
…about writing
1) This film raises questions as to what is the responsibility of a fiction writer to his or her
audience.
a. Do you think it is most important for a writer to be thought-provoking and
insightful or to provide a feel-good experience?
b. What do you believe Karen Eiffel’s priorities were, throughout her writing career,
and why do you think these changed in the end?
c. If Harold Crick hadn’t been a real person (in the context of the movie), would you
still support her decision to sacrifice literary merit for a “happy ending” and “keeping
a worthwhile character alive” for readers? Do you think her new ending – where
Harold’s sacrifice results in extreme injury - could be just as powerful as the first –
where his sacrifice results in his untimely and tragic death? (Defend your response)
2) We hear, throughout the story, Karen Eiffel’s narration of Harold Crick’s story.
a. What literary POV is Karen Eiffel’s book being written in? (Support!)
b. Do you think this is how you’d like your own story told?
3) During the course this film, we see a number of glimpses into Karen Eiffel’s intense writing
process.
a. Describe some ways she brings her plot and characters to life.
b. How does she deal with writer’s block?
c. Do you see any similarities between any of her writing processes and your own?
(Explain)
4) Using the excerpt from the article by Lou Whitworth, on literary tragedy and comedy,
discuss the specific elements of each within this movie. Which genre does it most closely
resemble, and why?
… about living
1) In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross published On Death and Dying, from which the very wellknown
and widely accepted “five stages of grief” are derived. These five stages are: denial,
anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
a. In response to the narrator’s announcement of his “imminent death”, how do we see
Harold experience each of these stages?
b. How does Harold start living when he reaches the “acceptance” stage? (How does he
start living when he realizes he may actually die?)
c. Do you believe his changes are positive or negative? Explain.
d. If you, like Harold, realized the inevitability of a short life, would this affect your
day-to-day decisions and actions? (Explain)
e. Read the excerpt from Kerry and Chris Shook’s “One Month to Live”. Do you
agree with the main concepts here? (Explain)

2) John 15:13 reads, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his
friends.” (NASB).
a. Explain this statement in the context of the choices we see Harold make, specifically
after reading his story and the ending as (author) had written it. Then, explain what this
shows us about his character.
b. Karen Eiffel and Penny Escher also, to a smaller degree, sacrifice themselves for the
good of another. (Explain)
c. Harold’s sacrifice prompts Eiffel to sacrifice in turn, which prompts Escher to sacrifice.
What does this pattern suggest about the nature of sacrifice? Do you believe that this
principle (as you’ve identified) is true to life?
3) Harold doesn’t see why his suffering is necessary until he has the opportunity to read the
entire piece Eiffel has written about him. After seeing “the big picture”, even though
nothing has changed and his personal outcome is the same, he tells Eiffel she should keep
the ending.
a. Why do you think Harold decides she should keep her ending as-is? (why doesn’t he ask
her to find a way to change it?)
b. How can realizing there’s a “bigger picture” help us deal with our own struggles?
4) Karen Eiffel says, near the end of the film:
As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was
going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and
constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies.
And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a
familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a
loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose
plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe
the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the
nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are
effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know
the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true.
a. Summarize what Eiffel is saying, in your own words.
b. Do you agree with her ideas, as you understand them?
5) Ana Pascal tells Harold, “...I figured if I was gonna make the world a better place... I would
do it with cookies...”
a. What does she mean?
b. Do you agree with her mentality? Can you “make the world a better place” with cookies?
c. If you were going to choose to make the world a better place, how would you do it?
The Art of the Film
1) This film includes an unusually high number of “over-the-shoulder” shots. What effect do
you think this technique was intended to have?
2) Music and sound was used very intentionally. What effect can music have on a viewer’s
mood/understanding of the film?
3) There were a number of motifs used throughout this film. Describe the possible role
(symbolic or otherwise) of: Taxes/numbers, The wrist-watch, and Cookies/baking