_The Winter of Our Discontent_ Discussion Questions

1. 

   _The Winter of Our Discontent_ by John Steinbeck

   Steinbeck set his previous novels on the other side of the continent—in (or on the way to) California. Why might he have chosen the East Coast as a setting for his last work? What are the historical implications of the locale?

2. The Winter of Our Discontenttakes place between two holiday weekends—one Easter and the other Independence Day. What is the metaphorical significance of these weekends?
3. Discuss the characters in this book, starting with Ethan Allen Hawley. Much of the book is spent inside his mind: what kind of man is he… what is his moral compass? What about his wife Mary and two children? What pressures do they exert on Hawley?
4. Care to comment on this passage from the book? Do you agree or disagree with the sentiments expressed—are they cynical…or realistic?
5. Strength and success—they are above morality, above criticism. It seems, then, that it is not what you do, but how you do it and what you call it. Is there a check in men, deep in them, that stops or punishes? There doesn’t seem to be. The only punishment is failure. In effect no crime is committed unless a criminal is caught.
6. What are the moral issues at the center of this book? Does Hawley “sell his soul” for personal gain? How conflicted is he regarding the dilemmas he faces? Are those dilemmas similiar to today’s…50 years later?
7. Is this book a tragedy…or comedy?
8. Does the book’s ambiguous ending satisfy you? What do you think will happen to Hawley?
9. Do you feel, as one of theNew York Times reviewer (above) does…that the moral questions are never fully resolved?
10. What is the significance of the title? The line is uttered by Shakespeare’s Richard III—one of Shakespeare’s most corrupt characters—who, in the history play of his name, contemplates his frustration during exile from power. Why might Steinbeck have considered “the winter of our discontent” a fitting title for this novel?
11. In what ways does Steinbeck show the reader that a new order is replacing the old in New Baytown.
12. As the story opens, is Ethan Hawley part of the new order or the old? Explain.
13. 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?
14. How does he himself expand on those temptations? What are the results?
15. When Margie reads Ethan’s fortune, she gets a vision of a snake shedding its skin. What might the image of the snake signify?
16. How do the actions of Ethan’s son mirror Ethan’s decline? What is Ethan’s reaction? What prevents his suicide?
17. 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?