Signs Preceding the End of the World

Signs Preceding the End of the World is structured based on the levels of the Aztec underworld, Mictlān. How does this fact shape the plot of the novel?

Mr. Aitch, one of Little Town’s top-dogs, is a crafty man whose influence extends throughout the novel. What is his role in Makina’s journey? To what extent can he be considered the novel’s antagonist?

Explore the symbol of the switchboard. What role does it play in communications in the South? What does it reveal about the nature of communication in the South compared to the North?

Makina fears she might change if she stays in the North too long. From where do these fears arise? To what extent are they dispelled or justified by the end of the novel?

Makina’s monologue in the penultimate chapter concludes with the phrase, “We the barbarians” (100). What is the significance of this statement in the context of the novel as a whole? What does her monologue reveal about her perception of the treatment of immigrants in the United States?

Makina’s brother enlisted in the army in the place of an Anglo teenager on the promise that the family would compensate him financially. However, the family cannot fulfill the promise. What does this failure indicate both about the family and the status of people like Makina’s brother in Northern society?

Makina’s brother states that he will remain in the North to discover what the Northern soldiers are fighting for. How has his experience in the North influenced this decision? Does his reason for remaining in the North influence Makina’s decision to accept her new identity at the end of the novel?

Many aspects of the past intrude upon the present in Signs Preceding the End of the World. To what extent does the novel function as a palimpsest? What does it suggest about the future of the societies it examines?