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Discussion starters:
- What does Jody's "bored aimlessness" (Peterson 90), manifested primarily through violent assaults on his world, show about Jody's state of mind?
- What is the importance of "the fundamental novitiate-priest relationship" (Peterson 91) that develops between Jody and Gitano?
- In what ways does this story recapitulate the quest for the Holy Grail?
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Critical Sources :
 Hart, Richard E. "Steinbeck on Man and Nature: A Philosophical Reflection." Steinbeck and the Environment. Ed. Susan F. Beegel, Susan Shillingshaw and Wesley N. Tiffney, Jr. Tuscaloosa: U of alabama P, 1997. 43-52.
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.
Peterson, Richard F. "The Grail Legend and Steinbeck's 'The Great Mountains.'" Hayashi 89-96.
Timmerman, John H. The Dramatic Landscape of Steinbeck’s Short Stories. Norman, OK: U of Oklahoma P, 1990. |
