The Californian’s Tale    study guide

1. Describe the setting of the story. How does the narrator describe the men who still live in the log cabins?

2. How is the interior of the cottage different from the miner’s cabins in which the narrator has been staying?

3. How does the narrator react to the woman’s picture?

4. Summarize what happens at the cottage on Saturday evening before Henry falls asleep.

5. Summarize what the narrator learns about the woman from Henry’s friend.

Interpret
6. What is the narrator’s attitude toward the men who live in the log cabins?

7. In your opinion, what do the furnishings, pictures, and other objects in the cottage symbolize for the narrator?

8. In your opinion, how does the narrator feel about meeting the woman?

9. In your opinion, why do the miners encourage Henry in his delusion? Why don’t they help him face the truth?

10. Why do Henry’s friend wait so long to reveal the truth to the narrator?

Evaluate and Connect
11. Just as we celebrate happy anniversaries, we also commemorate sad ones. Give at least one example of a somber national event and describe how people choose to recognize it.

12. In what ways does the twist in the plot change the way you think about the characters?