The Bad Beginning

The Count’s house contains pictures of eyeballs everywhere. Discuss why they’re there and what they represent about Olaf.

Beyond the eyeball drawings, several things about Count Olaf mark him as an evil person. How does Handler establish the characterization of Count Olaf?

Describe one trait each about Violet, Klaus, and Sunny that relates them to the themes and concerns of the Symbolist movement.

After an especially difficult day, the Baudelaire children lie in bed, cry all night, and feel better in the morning. Using this instance and others in the novel, how is the passage of time handled in The Bad Beginning?

The children need Justice Strauss to save them from Count Olaf, but she fails to notice the signs of their distress. What is Justice Strauss’s part in the novel’s theme of The Failure of Authorities to Protect Children?

Using examples, how does Klaus’s reading and knowledge relate to the themes of the novel as a whole?

Analyze Count Olaf’s public announcement of the scheme to marry Violet. How does this passage utilize theatrical elements and techniques?

Using examples, what is the significance of Violet’s inventiveness in the novel?