Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat

  

by John Steinbeck

Challenges & Opportunities

Available to teachers only as part of the Teaching Tortilla Flat Teacher Pass


Teaching Tortilla Flat Teacher Pass includes:

  • Assignments & Activities
  • Reading Quizzes
  • Current Events & Pop Culture articles
  • Discussion & Essay Questions
  • Challenges & Opportunities
  • Related Readings in Literature & History

Sample of Challenges & Opportunities


Dubious morals is the name of this game in Tortilla Flat. Not only does Danny wish to shirk all responsibility, he also hangs out with ne'er do wells. They steal, they lie, they connive, they dupe others into believing they're helping out… Basically, they are not your friends. And definitely not who you want your students to model themselves after.

We also have another issue, though, and this one is actually a little more insidious: Danny wants everything to come easy for him, including sex. When Sweets wants to capture him (money for sex doesn't seem to bother her one bit), he's fine with it. He really wants to get down to the business of hooking up, and so does she. Then when Danny decides he's done with Sweets, he drops her like a gooey dishrag. Yeah, stand up guy.