QUESTIONS ON NEIL STEPHENSON’S
SNOW CRASH
From the Students of English 190C FALL 1999

1. Many cyberpunk authors, such as Gibson, predict that corporations will
merge to form huge mega-conglomerates in the future. Are there any of these
in Snow Crash or is everything just a franchise?

2. Do all of the poor and working class people live in U-Store-It spaces and
the like?

3. Do the burb-Claves have real governments? If so, what are they equivalent
to in terms of entities that already exist (state, county, city, etc.)? Since
you need a visa to get into them, are they considered countries in their own
rights?

4. Is the Mafia still a criminal organization or is it considered just
another corporation? Does the Mob franchise as well?

5. Why is Hiro technically unemployed? It seems like he has a lot of
employable skills for someone in Stephenson’s world. Does he want to be hired
or does he prefer being a freelancer?

6. Why is everything that would normally be run by the government privatized
(Central Intelligence Corporation, General Bob’s National Security,
privatized jails, all cops are rent-a-cops)? Did the Feds go broke, lose
power or just disappear?

7. How does the judicial system work? Do you have to pay more to get out of
the “better” jails?

8. Why does Y.T. sleep with Raven?

9. In the novel, Stephenson compares knowledge to a virus. Is this true? Is
knowledge a virus, because a virus is a very destructive element.

10. Uncle Enzo is based on several Marlon Brando characters, so who would L.
Bob Rife be based on? Is he based on a fictional character or an actual
person, such as, Jim Jones or maybe Brigham Young?

11. This kind of struck me as odd, but on page 265, Stephenson changes his
tone of voice with this line: “The woman just stands there, totally, like,
appalled.” Why the valley girl accent? Is it necessary?

12. Who do you think Reverend Wayne is based on? Is there a enough
information on him to make a guess?

13. The novel reads quickly in the beginning. The characters and items
discussed are unique. But then Stephenson slows it down with all the
information given in the discussions between Hiro and the Librarian. Could
Stephenson have done without all the encyclopedia stuff?

14. Why were pit bulls, instead of Rottweilers or German Shepherds, used as
the basis for the Rat Things? This is not explained in the book but should
be able to be deduced from general knowledge of the breeds.

15. Is the subplot concerning the fathers of Raven and Hiro necessary? Can
the antagonism between them be fully explained without the subplot?

16. Does the story explain, or give clues about, the change in the way of
life in the USA and its status in the world? Is it run by the government
bureaucracy or by corporations?

17. What is the relationship between Y.T. and her mother like at the
beginning of the story? I forgot.

18. Why would the head of the Mafia (I can't remember his name) open up to
Y.T. when he meets her? Could he possibly be thinking of training her to
replace him or is he just checking her out for possible traits in prospective
leaders?

19. Is there a connection between Avon (more specifically consumerism) and
avatars? Has the sale of avatars replaced the need for Avon ladies and
Armani suits?

20. Which reality seems more believable: reality in which Hiro, Y.T., and
Uncle Enzo live or the metaverse? Could the metaverse have been originally
created because reality had become so unbelievable people needed someplace to
escape to that was closer to a reality they could handle?

21. Is Stephenson's depiction of the legal justice system really that far
fetched? I am thinking of the O. J. Simpson trial where the side with the
most expensive lawyers wins.

22. What is the significance of a Daemon and why was it given that name?

23. How come “Snow Crash” only affects computer programmers? How does it
work?

24. Why does YT’s mom work for the United States of America? Why doesn’t she
get another job?

25. How does Juanita find out about the Snow Crash virus?

26. Why is Juanita so into religions?

27. How does Juanita get the “world” program and the librarian?

28. Who controls the UKOD?

29. Is the Sacrifice Zone a toxic dump?

30. What is the difference between the Sacrifice Zone and the Body Lot?

31. The authorities don’t want Raven killed? Why not?

32. Where does the Cosa Nostra get new personnel?

33. What is a “Sacrifice Zone” and who runs them?

34. Are there laws in the Los Angeles area?

35. How is Da5id pronounced? The name Hiro Protagonist obviously symbolizes
something. Do the other names in the novel symbolize anything? <YT, Raven,
Lagos, Da5id, etc.>

36. Hiro views the metaverse as positive but Juanita says it is distorting
people’s relation ships. What are some of the ways that the metaverse could
be detrimental?

37. What exactly is a nam-shub? How did it function in ancient religions?
How does it function in Hiro’s time?