Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Each chapter has a cutesy, Winnie-the-Pooh-esque title that tells what's going to happen in the chapter. What effect does that have on the way you read Tortilla Flat?
- How does the fact that Danny's friends are paisanos affect their behavior? What role does race play in their lives?
- How would Tortilla Flat be different if it took place in your hometown?
- Every now and then, the characters talk with "thees" and "thous." Why do you think Steinbeck has them talk that way, and what is the effect of that funky language on your reading experience?
- The novel begins when Danny inherits the house, and it ends when the house burns down. What is the house's role in the novel, and what does it tell us about the characters?
- The characters who live in Tortilla Flat are all very poor, and Danny's Friends survive by stealing and scamming their neighbors. How does poverty affect morality in the novel?
- Steinbeck based Danny's Friends on the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Can you think of any other groups of friends through the history of literature or film that correspond to Danny, Pilon, Pablo, and the rest of the gang?
- Tortilla Flat describes very ordinary people and their everyday lives with elevated, poetic language. What effect does that contrast have on you, the reader? How does it make you feel about the characters and their actions?