"Saint Katy the Virgin"

• Timmerman points out in his introduction that this story was written well before the others in the collection. His denigration of it is clear when he says it "stands as good evidence of his [Steinbeck's] subsequent growth as a writer" (xxiii). Do you find the story a sore thumb in the collection or do you find stylistic and thematic concerns which unite it to others in the collection?
• What does the story benefit from the discussion of virginity?

 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.

 Marovitz, Sanford E. "The Cryptic Raillery of 'Saint Katy the Virgin.'" Hayashi 73-80.

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

 ---. Introduction. The Long Valley. John Steinbeck. New York: Penguin, 1995. vii-xxvii.