Call Me By Your Name

What is the significance of Elio’s status as an Italian and an American? How do linguistic and cultural differences come between Elio and Oliver?

How does the older Elio characterize himself as a teenager? What does this reveal about youth?

What attracts Elio to Oliver, and what scares him away from Oliver? How does this paradox help develop their relationship?

When Elio and Oliver finally have sex, Elio feels ashamed. What is the source of this shame? How does he move past it? What does this shame mean about Elio’s relationship with his body?

Describe Elio’s relationship to music and literature. How is his intellect central to his characterization and character development?

What is the significance of the Italian setting for this love story? Analyze how Aciman uses environment, space, and setting to help develop his themes and his plot.

How does the setting shift to Rome help develop Aciman’s themes, character development, and plot development? What does Rome have that B. doesn’t?

What is Aciman’s message about the relationship between the past and the present? How does the use of Elio as narrator help develop this message?