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.
The book is about two families, the Hamiltons and the Trask family. There are a lot of references to Genesis. In addition to that, it explores difficult topics and psychological topics.
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?
He doesn't trust Adam completely still, he gave half of it to Cathy because he didn't feel right giving it all to him.
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?
"Do you want to go dessie? More than anything in the world. Then we will go." (Steinbeck 402).
Typical siblings encountered are not that all close, but this shows how close Dessie and Tom are, regardless of how others are.
How does the info we receive about Charles's last 12 years without Adam contribute to our understanding of his symbolic connections to Cain? Have these connections held strong? (p. 371-372)
It helps our understanding because we find out that Cain died, which is not how it goes in the story, but another thing is charles was just very, very lonely.
Why do you think Tom is looked down upon by Will for writing poetry? (p. 392)
Because Will had a lot of prejudices about something that is not typical of Farm Life.
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.
Kate's Thought:
He's up to something, hes trying to get back at me but I can find the angle!
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)
Cal and Adam are similar in a unique way. Cal, near the end of one of these chpates he wanted Aron to love him, and he felt bad for being mean to him. This is similar to how Adam wanted to be accepted by his father.
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 is a very nice person and social, but it conflicts with his motives of wanting to own a bookstore in sanfransico and leave everyone he knows.
Which side does Steinbeck seem to lean towards regarding the nature vs. nurture argument, based on the novel so far? (BONUS: do you agree?)
Nature because Cal in the story was raised the same as Aron yet they are polar opposites and Cal isnt a good kid.
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.
No, I don't agree with that at all because he was only trying to help her, he never had ill intent.
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.
Hey Adam, I don't know why I'm writing to you because you've never written to me once, which has really affectted to me. So if you're reading, know that I always cared for you. This is my last letter, so goodbye.
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?
It might be really bad, and he will run away because he was lied to and deceived.
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 aboslutley not. Steinbeck shows women as two archetypes. The evil tempress and the overbearing wife and thats it.
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 is hard and complicated to learn, but at the same time is a wonderful thing.
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.)
He embodies it pretty well because he always has a choice, and at the end, he was considering dying, but is that fate, or is that a choice it's for him to decide.