Nightfall

The characters’ desire to prevent future Nightfall-related calamities bears some resemblance to collective efforts to counteract calamities in the real world. What does the novel suggest about shaping public perceptions as a way of mitigating inevitable disasters?

Asimov’s original short story “Nightfall” focused almost exclusively on the occurrence of the eclipse itself—the sequence that forms the novel’s climax. How does the novel access new ideas and perspectives by expanding to include the lead-up to the disaster and its aftermath?

Various characters suggest that science could be capable of leading society better than the government or religion can. Does the novel bear out these claims? How are scientific and religious worldviews presented as opposites in the novel? How are they presented as similar?