Guide Questions: "Under the Lion's Paw", by Hamlin Garland, pp.340-353 of American Literature, Glencoe, Signature Ed.

This short story is an example of regionalism, a literary movement that focused on the local color of a particular area, creating the activities, dialect, appearance, and customs of the characters and the environment in which they lived.

Directions: Answer the following in complete sentences.

1) What mood is established by the story's first paragraph?

2) How do Stephen Council and Mrs. Council react to the plight of the Haskins family?

3) What natural disaster drove the Haskins from Indiana?

4) Why was Jim Butler called "land poor"?

5) How did Butler decide that he could get rich?

6) Describe the deal made between Haskins and Butler for the Higley place.

7) What hardships are experienced by the Haskins during their first year on the Higley farm?

8) When Haskins shows off the improvements made to the property, what price does Butler then put on the Higley place?

9) How is Haskins "under the lion's paw"?

10) Why does Haskins abandon his violent impulse to harm Butler?

Thought question: In what ways are the problems of the turn-of the-century mid-western farmers similar to many people's problems today?