Discussion Questions-Winter of Our Discontent

Questions for Discussion:

1. In what ways does Steinbeck show the reader that a new order is replacing the old in New Baytown.
2. As the story opens, is Ethan Hawley part of the new order or the old? Explain.
3. Critics have stated that Steinbeck is presenting a paradox: “[man] can simply become one of the ‘eaters’ who simply fulfill their needs and urges, or he can try to make a difference as a moral, conscious individual." How is Ethan tempted to abandon his values and morals?
4. How does he himself expand on those temptations? What are the results?
5. When Margie reads Ethan’s fortune, she gets a vision of a snake shedding its skin. What might the image of the snake signify?
6. How do the actions of Ethan’s son mirror Ethan’s decline?
7. What is Ethan’s reaction?
8. What prevents his suicide?
9. To Mr.Marullo, Ethan is the “light” because he has not taken a kickback from a salesman. Who does Ethan discover as his own symbol of light for the next generation?