The Whistling Season

Reflecting on the Milliron boys’ experiences in their one-room school, what are some of the benefits a student might gain from a small school that a larger consolidated school with individual classrooms for the grades does not offer?

How does Paul balance his appreciation for his homesteader childhood with the depiction of its difficulties? How, in turn, does this affect his attitudes toward progress in 1950s America? Use examples from the text.

When Paul looks at the pathways and circles in the pasture where the students tether their horses in Chapter 7, what does he realize about the place of the school in the lives of the children and in the community?

After her arrival in Montana, life expands in several unexpected, unpredictable, positive ways for Rose. She responds to this by accepting the concepts of positive destiny and fate, while other characters quietly express disbelief in the idea of individual destiny. Why does Paul resist the idea of the hand of fate while Rose embraces it?

Why do Morrie’s brass knuckles deter Brose Turley from fighting with him in chapter 10? What does this suggest about Morrie, and why is Paul surprised?

Based on his observations throughout the narrative, what does Paul think of the state legislature, of his appropriations committee, and particularly of the committee chairman?

How does Brose Turley’s concern about Halley’s comet relate to the appropriation chairman’s concern about the Soviet Sputnik satellite?

After working so hard to please Morrie and talk him out of resigning as the school’s teacher, why does Paul suddenly think it is important for Morrie to leave Marias Coulee after Rose’s wedding?