Essay Questions

Why is Adam so important to the text?

Adam’s character is vital to the text, even though he may not seem like it. Amongst the caricature-like personalities throughout the novel, he seems contrastingly boring. However this is the entire point of his character; despite being the Antichrist, he acts like an ordinary child. In fact, he has become so assimilated into the ordinary human culture that he grew up in, that he doesn’t want to aid in the destruction of Earth and actually opposes the Apocalypse. This attitude pushes messages of how nurture overcomes nature, but foremost, allows for Adam to be a personification of human nature that we can all relate to.

How does the satirical style of the text affect our perception of it?

Good Omens is written in a distinctly British satirical, humorous style. Thus, its jokes come foremost and are the most standout thing in the prose, which can cause the reader to believe it is not a particularly philosophical text. However, this clever intertwining of humorous appeal with philosophy of human nature is what makes the book subtle and interesting. By using jokes to push its deeper messages, said messages come through much more easily to the reader and aren’t too obvious or easy to figure out.

Why was the choice made to include children as some of the main characters? What purpose does this serve?

While including children as main characters in an adult novel could potentially cause annoyance or boredom in readers, in this case, it furthers the characters and messages. Children are innocent and naive, ignorant to the wider context of the world. Thus, they are the perfect characters to reflect complex ideas from, as they aren’t knowledgeable about any taboos and speak freely. This means that we as readers can understand the issues that they are speaking about clearly, while also having to think slightly to work out what exactly the children are talking about, due to their youthful ignorance being sometimes difficult to understand.

What messages does the text push about humans?

Despite its often bitter nature, Good Omens displays surprisingly optimistic views on human nature. Near the beginning, Aziraphale and Crowley’s analysis of humans can often be depressing as they lament about the state of their morals. However, Adam’s views expressed near the end of the novel are the true messages to take out of it. To quote his monologue near the end, "I don't see what's so triflic about creating people as people and then gettin' upset 'cos they act like people”. This reaffirms the optimistic views and pushes the message that humans aren’t necessarily good or bad, and trying to impose divine rules on them is pointless.

What purpose do the characters of Aziraphale and Crowley serve?

The characters of Aziraphale and Crowley, while they don’t seem to serve any purpose to the plot of the story (apart from comedic relief), are representations of key moral ideas regarding Heaven and Hell. Despite its often exaggerated portrayals, Good Omens shows surprisingly liberal and objective views on the two sides, by seeing them as simply that ‒ two sides. Aziraphale isn’t a totally perfect beacon of light, and Crowley isn’t a truly evil, wicked creature. This shows that the debate over Heaven and Hell is often pointless, as well as debates between many polarizing viewpoints, and in the end, they are just different sides.