After reading the three stories, discuss with class the creation of a musical. The discussion would first center around the common elements of the short stories.
Character
: Tevye the Dairyman—What is he like? How strong is he? What share his characteristics? What are his weak points? Where does he get his strength? Is his rejection of his daughter a sign of strength or weakness? What could you change about him?
Secondary characters
—What kind of picture do you get of the daughters? Do they seem to be alike? What about Golde? How could you strengthen her? Does she seen real?
Conflict
—Is the conflict in the stories the same? How is it resolved? Is there any sense of loss in the resolution, a sense of loss for Tevye? Can the students understand the anguish in Tevye when he rejects his beloved Chava? I think the scene is a very difficult scene for young people to understand.
Plot
—Is the structure the same? What moves the plot? What happens in the story?
Theme
—What do the students think the underlying theme of these three stories is? It will be important for them to understand the break with tradition and the difficulty between generations before they can move on to the musical.