Consider the title of the novel. How does the protagonist, Fugui, manage to survive throughout the novel? How is this title significant to Fugui’s story?

To Live utilizes two narrative voices, the narrator and Fugui’s, to tell the overall story. What is the purpose of having two narrators? How do these differing styles contribute to your reading of the novel as a whole?

China’s changing historical landscape plays an important role in this novel. Choose a major historical event that happens in the novel and explain the significance of the event in Fugui’s life and the lives of those around him.