Special Prompts
You are reading, and your sibling asks you, "hey, what's that book about?"
Write a detailed response to your sibling, including at least one lesson someone could learn about life by reading it.
This book is about two contrasting families with different problems. One lesson someone can learn about life by reading it is you can´t trust anyone because sometimes they can be deceiving. Jealousy should not get in the way of a relationship.
Consider Charles' will: it stipulates that half of Charles' money should go to Cathy.
Why do you think Charles included this stipulation instead of giving it all to Adam? What does it suggest about his relationships with the both of them?
Although Charles didn´t like Cathy, he still recognizes that they are married and this is probably his kind of way of approving their marriage.
Find a quote/passage from Ch. 32-33 that helps reveal the close bond shared between Tom and Dessie.
Then discuss: in what ways do they complicate the novel's depiction of sibling relationships? BONUS (100pts): Which Hamilton brother inadvertently contributes to Tom's deep depressive state?
¨Every fifty yards there was another card sticking on a bush, or hanging from the branches of a madrone, or tacked to the trunk of a buckeye, and all of them said, ¨Welcome Home.¨ Dessie squealed with delight over each one.¨pg 395
This shows how close Tom is to Dessie because he bothered to put up signs to welcome her home. In contrast, other sibling relationships are based on rivalry.
How does the info we receive about Charles' last 12 years without Adam contribute to our understanding of his symbolic connections to Cain? Have these connections held strong? (p. 371-372)
They are both lonely and isolated because of their jealousy. These connections have held strong through these experiences during the story.
Why do you think Tom is looked down upon by Will for writing poetry? (p. 392)
He feels that buisness is a very imortant thing to be good at. Tom is horrible at buisness and he writes poetry, which is seen as more of a ¨women´s¨ job.
Grab a blank sheet of paper. Collaborate to draw a quick sketch of Cathy/Kate during the moments following Adam's most recent departure from the brothel (p. 385, paragraph starting with "Kate sat down and stared...")
Add a thought bubble which contains her likely thoughts after being psychoanalyzed by Adam.
We've noted some similarities between Cal and Charles... but what similarities does Cal share with a young Adam?
Find a quote that represents Cal's similarities to Adam. (100 bonus pts. per additional quote)
¨And in his mind he cried, ¨Don´t let me be mean.¨ -Cal page 380
This shows how like Adam, Cal wants to please his dad and make people happy.
Relate Lee's character to the concept/theme of duality of man. How does his outward persona conflict with his truest motivations?
BONUS (+100): What might Steinbeck be trying to argue through this conflicting aspect of Lee's character?
Lee´s character demonstrates duality because he mentions he likes being a servant, but as the book goes on, Lee starts to express a disinterest of being a servant. He likes Adam, but he wants to open a book store.
Which side does Steinbeck seem to lean towards regarding the nature vs. nurture argument, based on the novel so far? (BONUS: do you agree?)
Steinbeck seems to lean towards both nature and nurture at different times throughout the book. I agree with the nurture argument because I feel that people who are treated nicely most likely end up nice peole.
Tom blames himself for Dessie's death, calling it a 'murder' in his own head (408).
Do you agree or disagree with his estimation? Explain.
I think that Tom did not murder Dessie because even though he might have agitated her condition even more with the salts, he loved her and was trying to help her. Therefore, he did not kill her.
Imagine that Charles had been sending letters to Adam throughout the 11 years between Adam's move and Charles' death... but each letter got lost somehow.
From Charles' POV, write a theoretical final letter to Adam.
Hello, Adam.
It´s been 11 years and you haven´t responded to me. I am getting old and I don´ t have a lot of time let. You won´t see me again alive because the doctors say I don´t have enough time. Please forgive me. I want to write to you saying I love you and I have always missed you.
Love,
Charles
Near the end of Part 3, it is revealed that Adam is buying Dessie's house in Salinas... where Kate owns her brothel.
Aron does not yet know that she is still alive. Make a prediction: if Aron finds out, how could his relationship with Adam be affected?
Aron will not trust Adam anymore. Their bond is already a little rocky.
Do Steinbeck's portrayals of women so far align with modern portrayals of women in media and/or literature? Provide reasons for the yes and/or no side.
No, Cathy in particular is not a portrayal of modern women because no one is all evil like she is.
What does Ch. 29 (the chapter about Adam learning how to turn on his new Ford) suggest about Steinbeck's views about modernity's promise to make the world better?
It means Steinbeck this modernity is a little bit of a hastle.
Remember Timshel, the Hebrew word for "thou mayest", which Lee determined represents humans' choice to conquer sin.
Where does Tom fall on a hypothetical spectrum of whether or not he embodies Lee's idea, and how do we know? (Use p. 407-410.)
Tom did not choose to conquer sin, instead he choose suicide.