One of the main themes in Orhan Pamuk's novel Snow is the universality of death. We might be more specific and discuss suicide. Why is Ka (Kerim) in Kars? He's looking into why a succession of girls have killed themselves.

That brings us to another theme: modernity (or secularism) versus religion. Why are the girls killing themselves? Is it because they're being pressured to remove their headscarves during class? This element links to the tension between adhering to religious traditions and going along with more "modern" customs.

A third theme you can touch on is sexism. The hijab is a source of debate: are women choosing to wear it, or are they being forced to cover themselves? You might want to think about how the girls in Snow complicate our understanding of the headscarf/hijab conversation. How is it sexist to force a girl to wear a covering? How is it also sexist to force a girl to take off a covering?

Another more general sexist issue you could discuss is the dead girls themselves. How might the dead girl trope be sexist? How does Ka's role regarding the suicides reinforce stereotypical gender norms? Is Ka supposed to be their savior? How might Ka reflect stereotypical norms about masculinity, especially masculine artists?

One last theme you could discuss is the power and influence of the media. Remember, Ka is looking into the deaths because he's been asked to do so by a newspaper. Media also plays a role when soldiers begin shooting at the audience during a live event on TV. You might want to think about the connection between media and violence.