Research the history of the United States in the 1930s in regard to labor, unions, and the Great Depression. In particular, consider the 1934 taxi strike in New York City. Do you think that Odets’s portrayal is biased? Why or why not? Use examples from the text.

Read another of Odets’s Depression-era plays, such as Awake and Sing! (1935) or Till the Day I Die (1935), and compare the two works. How are they similar or different in terms of style, subject matter, and tone?

Imagine that Waiting for Lefty is being restaged today. How do you think it might remain relevant to today’s audiences? What aspects of the play do you think might not have aged well?