Why do you think Whitehead chose to set his novel in a fictional universe? Pointing to specific passages in the text, what clues does Whitehead provide as to the historical time and place the setting most resembles? How does Whitehead use the differences between his world and the real world to comment on race and urbanization?

How do elevators and elevation operate as symbols in the book? How do they function in Whitehead’s broader allegory about race in America?

Bringing in outside research, why is racial uplift theory controversial in the 21st century? What are the limitations to this approach toward securing racial equality? For reference, read this Brookings Institute article from Professor Christopher H. Foreman, Jr: (https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-america-the-road-to-racial-uplift).