Structure
What do the “looking glasses” function as?
Two-way communication devices with the aliens
How old is the daughter when Louise imagines her death?
Twenty-five
How many looking glasses are in the United States?
Nine
Who will call Louise with news of her daughter’s death?
Mountain Rescue
What physical barrier separates humans from the heptapods?
The looking glass itself (a transparent interface)
What activity leads to the daughter’s death?
Rock climbing
Why does Louise believe recordings alone are insufficient to learn the alien language?
Language learning requires direct interaction with native speakers
Why does Louise say she’ll never tell her daughter the story of her conception at the right time?
Because her daughter will die before having children
Why might the heptapods’ writing have no fixed orientation?
Their bodies have radial symmetry and no “forward” direction
What narrative technique connects Louise’s memories of her daughter and the alien contact?
Nonlinear time perception / future memories