Legends of the Fall

How do the three novellas in Legends of the Fall work together to explore the theme of the societal expectations placed on men? How do they each approach the topic differently?

Harrison begins “Revenge” with a vulture’s observation of a man’s body in the desert and ends the story with a similar aerial view of the human participants. Why might Harrison have chosen to begin and end the novella this way? What is the effect on the reader and the rest of the story?

“Revenge” contains several religious references, from Diller’s healing of Cochran to Miryea rising from her deathbed on the third day. What are other religious references in the text? Why did Harrison choose to layer them in, and what is the effect?

Dancing is a thread that runs throughout Nordstrom’s life in “The Man Who Gave Up His Name.” What does dancing represent in the story? How does Nordstrom’s changing relationship to dance reflect the changes in his life?

In “The Man Who Gave Up His Name,” Nordstrom asks, “Are we truly allowed to start over?” (139). What are some of the obstacles that Nordstrom faces in his pursuit of a new, more authentic life? How does he overcome them?

In “The Man Who Gave Up His Name,” Nordstrom asks his father if a crow is a boy or a girl, to which his father responds that “it didn’t matter to the crow, just as it doesn’t matter to a dog” (111). What does his father mean by this, and how does it inform Nordstrom’s relationship with nature as an adult?

In “Legends of the Fall,” Tristan has a tumultuous relationship with his first wife, Susannah. Why does Tristan marry Susannah? And why does he, later in the book, have sex with her even though she is now married to Alfred?

In “Legends of the Fall,” Tristan has a close relationship with One Stab. They share a love of a book of stories in which, among other things, rhinoceros stop a train. What is the significance of this story, and the others like it in the book? Why do they both love these stories?