Essay Questions

What is the irony of Lancaster Dodd calling Freddie a scoundrel upon first speaking to him?

Freddie has wandered upon a ship that Dodd is piloting, he was drunk and passed out. Dodd calls Freddie a scoundrel and it is ironic because soon after Lancaster invites Freddie to stay so long as he makes him his special booze. Dodd has a taste for the hardcore alcohol that Freddie makes and easily partakes in it with him.

Why is Helen concerned with Lancaster changing one word to a programming question?

Dodd has just released his second book and has changed a programming question by one word: from "recall" to "imagine." The reason this concerns Helen so much is that when asking someone what they recall it is asking them about what really happened to them, while asking them what they imagine means they have the will to make it up. She sees that Dodd is slipping and may not even believe in what he is teaching people as truth anymore.

What is the significance of Freddie's drinking and acting out his lust?

Freddie has come back from World War II, but on board his Navy vessel he learned to concoct a deadly drink that keeps him inebriated. We also see that he is constantly thinking of sex, and wanting to have sex. These are the ways in which Freddy deals with the pain he is running away from. The booze keeps his hurt and violence at bay, and his focusing on sex is his choosing to pursue the easy road with women rather than the more difficult one of fulfilling his promise to Doris and returning home to marry her after the war.