Subterranean Gothic
by Paul Theroux
1. Make a list of words that describe the New York City subway as it is described in this short
story.
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2. Make a list of factual information that you learn from this short story. In addition to listing
information on a sheet of paper, you should also continue highlighting in yellow, as I have
begun to do on page 240. You will need to have specific, factual information if you are
asked to write either an official report or a news report. (And my guess is that you will be
asked!)
3. Highlight in green (as I have begun) and make a list of DOs and DONTs concerning how to
behave in the NYC subway. You may be asked to write a set of instructions/guidelines
for a tourist guide or write advice for tripadvisor.com, for example, regarding the rules to
adhere to when taking the subway in NYC.
4. In 1981 how many people died on the NYC subway?
Deaths: ____________________________________
Suicides:___________________________________
“Man-Under” incidents:_______________________
“Space-Cases”:______________________________
5. Contrast the atmosphere of the NYC subway with that of the one in San Francisco.
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6. List the 3 metaphors that describe the subway on p.240 and the one on p.243.
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7. A _______________________________ is NYC subway lingo for a person who lives in
the subway.
8. (p.241) A ‘snatcher’ is ______________________________________________________
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9. (p.242) A plainclothesman is _______________________________________________
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10. Choose the best response: Read the paragraph on page 243 beginning, “New Yorkers make
it their business to avoid getting lost.” This paragraph describes the subway as something :
a. To be wary of
b. To have a sense of humour about
c. To study intently
d. To avoid
11. What are problems that a person encounters when trying to find his/her way in the subway?
(p.243)
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12. Literature often makes reference to other literary works or specific people or places. These
references often heighten a particular effect or point that the author is making. I have
provided information about Theroux’s reference to T.S. Eliot’s “East Coker” on the first
page of the short story. What is the effect of including this reference in Subterranean
Gothic?
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13. On page 244, reference is made to Andy Warhol, Norman Mailer and to Edgar Allan Poe.
Explain the role of these references.
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14. How does the writer react to artists and writers who defend graffiti or who praise it as a
form of art? (See p.244)
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15. The term “subterranean gothic” is used on page 245. Explain the gothic elements in this
story. (In order to answer this question well, you must do a little research into the elements
that denote ‘gothic.’) You must be specific. See the document entitled ‘Gothic literature
characteristics’ under the Written Assignment on the wikispace.
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16. Grammar: (p.245) Where specifically does the word ‘seldom’ appear in a sentence? What
part of speech is the word ‘seldom’? Diagram/label both sentences on this page that
contain the word ‘seldom.’
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17. (p.245) New yorkers are ____________________ about the subway line that they take
regularly.
a. Indifferent
b. Nonchalant
c. Contemptuous
d. Defensive
e. Protective
18. Vocabulary: What is a word that means ‘shown by parents or friends’ as in ‘Most subway
passengers were shown how to ride it by parents or friends.’ (p.245)
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19. As part of the factual information that you are gathering from the story, list the most
frequent crimes (see p.247):
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20. Who are the most likely to get mugged or aggressed?
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21. Describe one of the tactics of the Mobile Task Force.
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22. (p.246) Vocabulary: “----ridden” I have defined this use of the past participle of ‘ride’ in
the margin of the story. Write 2 sentences with 2 different hyphenated forms using ‘ridden.’
Find your own!
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23. (p.253) What is it that allows the narrator to see the NYC subway from a secure vantage
point?
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24. (p.253) In the sentence beginning, “What surprised me most…” (third paragraph), explain
in your own words why you think the writer expresses surprise.
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25. (p.254) How would you describe the kinds of questions that people ask Officer John
Burgois? Find at least 3 good adjectives.
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26. Vocabulary: salutary
The narrator refers to the experience of travelling on the subway with officers as ‘salutary.’
Describe something that you have experienced that you would qualify as ‘salutary.’
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27. (p.256) What is the effect of the specific choice of words used to describe Japan’s
subway’s token system?
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28. Just to ponder for now: Possible Written Assignment: Write a conversation or an
interview with one of the uniformed police officers (Info could be taken from bottom
p.253 + p.254)