Discussion Questions For Double Helix

Double Helix is a thriller-mystery that revolves around modern day science. This book is suspenseful and eloquent, with a hair-raising conclusion. Double Helix explores identity, intimacy, and the complicated ethics of genetic engineering. This book is filled with questions and hidden answers. Double Helix is bursting with protagonists, multiple conflicts, and a deep fundamental theme found within the novel.

One of the main protagonists in this book, Eli Samuels, plays an important role. Eli in this book is pictured as a 7 ft. tall, extremely good-looking, teenager. The book also reveals his inner self as a teenager. He has become a very introverted person due to many problems with his home life. Some of the problems he experienced at home were with his mother having Huntington’s disease and the broken relationship with his own father. From these problems, Eli has adopted a defense mechanism, of hiding his personal life from his outside associates. He also is constantly questioning things and always wants to find the answers to the questions he seeks. Another critical main character is Vivian Fadiman. Vivian is Eli's girlfriend, who loves and trusts him, but does not understand why he hides so much of his life from her. Thirdly, there is the influential protagonist Dr. Quincy Wyatt. Dr. Wyatt is a legendary geneticist who knew Eli’s parents before Eli was born, and seems to know more about Eli than he
Two of the big conflicts are that Eli’s mother has gone insane from Huntington’s disease, and his dad is ever more distant. Instead of applying to college, Eli drunkenly begs an old family acquaintance Dr. Wyatt for a job. However, as it turns out that his dad hates Dr. Wyatt, and the reason has something to do with Eli’s mother and Eli’s own past. Eli, and his relationship with his girlfriend Vivian, is stressed when they have a huge fight. These are a few of the problems, which surface during the course of the