Essay Questions

How does the narrative explore the relationship between technological progress and environmental degradation?

Powers places technology and environmental themes at the heart of the narrative through the proposed seasteading project on the Polynesian island of Makatea. This project embodies humanity's ambition to expand into the ocean by seeking new frontiers through technology. Powers uses Makatea's ecological history to symbolize the consequences of unchecked human exploitation. Phosphorus mining left the island ecologically scarred, which provides a historical backdrop to the contemporary seasteading venture. The novel forces us to confront difficult questions: Can technology and environmental stewardship coexist? Or does technological progress inevitably lead to the degradation of Earth's last untouched ecosystems? This debate echoes contemporary real-world tensions between economic development and the need to mitigate climate change, especially in vulnerable regions.

How does the author use the characters' personal stories to reflect global issues?

Powers interweaves the lives of Evie, Ina, Todd, and Rafi in ways that reflect global themes, such as climate change and colonialism. Each character’s trajectory is emblematic of the larger forces at play in the novel. Evie Beaulieu’s experience with the aqualung in Montreal illustrates humanity’s exploration of the natural world, especially the ocean. Her near-drowning hints at the dangers of overreaching and misunderstanding the environment we seek to conquer. Similarly, Ina Aroita, who grew up on naval bases in the Pacific, represents the legacy of colonialism in these island nations. The bases themselves are remnants of military and geopolitical power that shaped the region's history. Her art becomes a form of personal expression against these powerful external forces. Todd Keane and Rafi Young’s bond over a 3,000-year-old board game illustrates how human competition, ingenuity, and strategy play out in personal and global contexts. Todd’s later AI breakthrough offers a commentary on the promises and threats of artificial intelligence.

What role does the ocean play as both a setting and a symbol in the narrative?

The Pacific Ocean represents one of the last truly wild places on Earth. Powers uses the ocean to explore themes of human limitation, environmental fragility, and the possibility of renewal or destruction. Throughout the novel, the ocean serves as a reminder of nature's vastness and mystery—an element that remains largely unexplored even in an age of technological dominance. The seasteading project is an attempt to colonize this last frontier. However, the ocean resists easy categorization or control. On a symbolic level, the ocean demonstrates human ambition and hubris. The desire to control and expand into the sea parallels humanity's historical patterns of colonization and resource extraction. Yet the ocean also offers the possibility of renewal and hope, if humans learn to live in harmony with it rather than exploit it.