Category 1: The Setting
This is where the narrator is staying while Andrée is away.
Andrée’s apartment in Paris
The strange creatures that begin appearing in the apartment.
Rabbits
One word that describes the narrator by the end of the story.
Unstable / anxious / overwhelmed (accept similar)
What is ironic about the narrator’s polite tone.
He sounds calm and polite while describing something disturbing
How the apartment changes by the end of the story.
It becomes chaotic, damaged, and ruined
The story is written in this form.
A letter
How the rabbits first appear.
He vomits / regurgitates them
The emotion he feels about damaging the apartment.
Guilt
Why Cortázar uses something surreal instead of a realistic problem.
To symbolize inner problems and make the story more unsettling
The climax of the story.
When the rabbits overrun the apartment and he loses control
The narrator’s main problem in the apartment.
He vomits rabbits / rabbits keep appearing
What happens to the rabbits as the story continues.
They multiply / increase in number
One detail that shows he is becoming more anxious or unstable.
Obsessive worrying, frantic tone, loss of control, chaotic behavior
Why the story being a letter is important.
It makes the story a confession/apology and shows his thoughts directly
One theme of the story.
Loss of control, anxiety, responsibility, guilt
This is the person the letter is written to.
Andrée
One thing the narrator tries to do to deal with the rabbits.
Hide them, care for them, contain them, or get rid of them
What the story suggests about his mental state.
He is mentally unstable / losing control / overwhelmed
The mood at the beginning of the story.
Calm, polite, controlled
One possible meaning of what the rabbits symbolize.
Anxiety, guilt, intrusive thoughts, or problems that grow when ignored
Why the narrator feels he must explain everything in detail in the letter.
He feels guilty and needs to confess/apologize for what he’s done
Why the rabbits are especially problematic in Andrée’s apartment.
The apartment is neat/ordered and they cause damage and chaos
Why we should question whether the narrator is reliable.
His story is surreal, irrational, and shows distorted thinking
How the tone changes from the beginning to the end.
It shifts from calm and orderly to tense, chaotic, and disturbing
What the ending suggests about the narrator’s ability to control his life.
He has completely lost control and is overwhelmed by his problems