Characters and Choices
Who is Lennie’s caretaker and closest companion in Of Mice and Men?
George
What theme is most clearly represented by Holden’s constant criticism of “phoniness”?
Alienation and authenticity
What does Lennie’s puppy symbolize in Of Mice and Men?
The fragility of innocence and the dangers of strength.
What event leads to Lennie’s death in Of Mice and Men?
He accidentally kills Curley’s wife and George must make a hard choice
“Tell me about the rabbits, George.”
Lennie - Of Mice and Men
What decision does Dave make at the end of The Man Who Was Almost a Man?
he runs away on the train
What theme is represented in Of Mice and Men by the dream of owning a farm?
The American Dream
What does Holden’s red hunting hat symbolize in The Catcher in the Rye?
His uniqueness and desire for protection
Where is Holden when he narrates the story in The Catcher in the Rye?
In a mental institution or rest home
“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye...”
Holden Caulfield -- Catcher in the Rye
Which character in The Catcher in the Rye symbolizes Holden’s ideal of innocence?
Phoebe
In Harrison Bergeron, what is Vonnegut criticizing through the use of handicaps?
The dangers of forced equality and loss of individuality
Describe the setting/world of 2BR02B.
It was a Utopia. No sickness, no jails, no war, no poverty, death was a choice.
Why is Harrison Bergeron arrested in the story?
He removes his handicaps and rebels against the government
“He flung away his rubber-ball nose, revealed a man that would have awed Thor...”
Just name the short story.
What motivates the grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find to plead with The Misfit?
Her desperation and desire to save herself by appealing to morality and religion
How does A Good Man Is Hard to Find explore the theme of grace or redemption?
Through the grandmother’s final act of empathy toward The Misfit, suggesting a fleeting moment of spiritual clarity
What symbol could the Misfit represent from A Good Man Is Hard to Find?
Moral Ambiguity, Evil perhaps
How does 2 B R 0 2 B depict population control?
Every new life must be offset by a voluntary death.
“She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.”
The Misfit -- A Good Man is Hard to Find
In 2 B R 0 2 B, what choice does the father make, and why is it significant?
He gives up his life so his child can live, highlighting the dehumanization of the society’s population control.
What central theme connects The Man Who Was Almost a Man and 2 B R 0 2 B?
The struggle for autonomy.
In The Man Who Was Almost a Man, what does the gun symbolize for Dave?
A false sense of maturity and control.
In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, what decision seals the family's fate?
aking a detour that leads them into contact with The Misfit.
“A man should have a gun. He could go out and shoot things.”
Dave in The Man Who Was Almost a Man