Matterhorn Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The United States Marine Corps and our BookBrowse Review of Matterhorn.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Do you believe that Mallory’s headaches were real? Was he a "malingering coward"? Hawke agreed with Cassidy that he was a malingerer, but Mellas felt differently (maybe he was "out here too long"... they "kept sending him back" (p. 453). Why do you think Mellas felt that way? Was it political? China despised Mallory (p. 218) and wanted to tell him to act like a man, but he knew that the "headaches" would help him further his "cause." Did racial attitudes play a role in the treatment, analysis, and perception of the headaches?
   
   
2. Mellas asks Hawke shortly after they meet whether he has "had racial problems here in the company." Hawke answers, "Naw, not really" (p. 29). Is Hawke downplaying the problem, or is his belief rooted in something else?
   
   
3. Mellas refers to the "political implications" of Parker’s hair being too long. He also wonders about the timing of this enforcement of military etiquette. What are the political implications of the incipient "afro"? Do you think the situation should have been handled differently? How? Did Cassidy’s involvement (after wanting to string his "ass... up to the nearest fucking tree") exacerbate the situation? What choices did the officers have?
   
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Grove Press. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.