1. Many critics tend to discredit such "escapist" types of literature as Westerns, science fiction, Gothic romances, and mysteries. Why, then, would Schaefer, a serious writer, consciously choose to place Old Ramon in a Western setting?
2. Other critics (and many general readers) are wary of didactic fiction— literature which seeks to teach a moral lesson or promote a particular view of the world. Do you find Old Ramon overly didactic? Do you think Ramon himself is too "preachy" and his moral instruction heavy-handed?
3. The unnamed boy in Old Ramon shares many characteristics with Bob Starrett, the youngster in Schaefer's celebrated novel Shane. Discuss the two characters' similarities. How is Shane himself.....
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