"Breakfast"

• Despite a lack of plot, the story is structured symmetrically, says Hughes (70). Is the structure without purpose since the visitor has no reason to relay this event?
• Hughes suggests the meal "becomes a ritual of holy communion, suggesting an indomitable faith in the brotherhood of man" (71). Do you find a religious resonance in this story?

Critical Sources:

 Benton, Robert M. "'Breakfast' I and II." Hayashi 33-39.

 Hayashi, Tetsumaro, ed. A Study Guide to Steinbeck's The Long Valley. Ann Arbor, MI: Pierian, 1976.

 Hughes, R. S. Beyond the Red Pony: A Reader’s Companion to Steinbeck’s Complete Short Stories. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow, 1987.

 Timmerman, John H. The Dramatic Landscape of Steinbeck’s Short Stories. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1990.