32 pages 1 hour read

Harlan Ellison

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1967

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

AM is shown creating living things, including locusts, angels, a giant bird, and rats. Since AM can create life, why can’t AM make more humans to torment? What might be different about humans that AM cannot replicate?

2.

Ted reflects that “AM could not belong. He could merely be” (7). What is the difference between being and belonging? What are some examples of being versus belonging, and why would exclusion from belonging provoke such rage in AM?

3.

Although Ted is the main character and narrator, he reveals nothing about his life before AM’s apocalypse. Why might that be? What does that accomplish for the story? How would the story be different if it did include Ted’s history?

Related Titles

By Harlan Ellison

Study Guide

logo

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

Harlan Ellison

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

Harlan Ellison

Plot Summary

logo

Shattered Like a Glass Goblin

Harlan Ellison

Shattered Like a Glass Goblin

Harlan Ellison