The Winter of our Discontent

Another masterpiece.

This novel didn't seem like Steinbeck at his best. I am a big fan of his oeuvre, but this seemed to be too placid and lacking action that I did not enjoy the reading experience. Overall, it was disappointing.

2 stars.

John Steinbeck is a giant in describing the human condition, and reminds my to a degree of Dostoyevsky. A friend bemoaned his gloomy view of human weakness, but against that backdrop lies hope, retribution and all that is also good in mankind, if s/he is only brave enough to withstand temptation and the crushing disappointment we feel from those life events that slowly turn our souls to tatters. I picked up this book at the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, and we had a lovely meal at Steinbeck House as well - I highly recommend it!

Sometimes a man seems to reverse himself so that you would say, "He can't do that. It's out of character." Maybe it's not. It could be just another angle, or it might be that the pressures above or below have changed his shape.I saw a number of parallels between the last Steinbeck work I read, [Travels with Charley] and this, the last novel he ever wrote and the impetus for his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960. The primary element they share is a theme of disillusion with modern life and its ever-increasing emphasis on money and possessions as a way of measuring a person's worth.Ethan Allen Hawley is the latest in a long line of New England bluebloods, whose ancestors served as privateers during the Revolutionary War and later made their fortune in whaling. The process of losing that fortune was begun by Ethan's father, an amiable man with no head for business, and finished by Ethan himself, who loses the family grocery store and is reduced to working as a clerk for the Italian immigrant who buys it from him. At the outset of the novel, Ethan himself seems more or less resigned to his circumstances, but pressure from his wife and the ever-present knowledge that the town pities his loss of status impels him to a reckless course of conduct to re-gain what has been lost.After some introductory chapters told from a third-person point of view, most of the remainder of the novel is narrated by Ethan, so we get to witness from within his transformation from a an ordinarily honest man to someone both greater and less than that. I liked the man he was at the beginning, and I found his evolution (or devolution, depending on your point of view) compelling but ultimately unconvincing. I don't think Steinbeck provided enough motivation for such an abrupt change in a man's fundamental charcter, though he certainly tried:I did not ever draw virtue down to hide what I was doing from myself. No one made me take the course I had chosen. Temporarily I traded a habit of conduct and attitude for comfort and dignity and a cushion of security. It would be too easy to agree that I did it for my family because I knew that in their comfort and security I would find my dignity. But my objective was limited and, once achieved, I could take back my habit of conduct. I knew I could. War did not make a killer of me, although for a time I killed men. ... The main thing was to know the objective for what it was, and, once it was achieved, to stop the process in its tracks. But that could only be if I knew what I was doing and did not fool myself.

The back of this book talks about Steinbeck retuning to "the social themes that made his early work so powerful". I love that social themes are the point, and that I feel so immersed in the world that Steinbeck created here. Ethan has a dilema. His family money is long gone, and his children are anxious to have more of everything that will restore their status in the community. They are surly teens, and a bit of a disappointment to their dad, who prides himself on his honesty and his integrity. His wife, Mary, is supportive of Ethan using a little of the money she has inherited to invest in some business deal that she prefers to leave to the men. Ethan has a series of thoughts that turn to realisations and decides to set aside his integrity for a minute, join the masses and make himself some cash. Meanwhile his children are entering a nation-wide essay competition to profess their love for their country. The last 50 pages or so reveal the consequences of his acts, and give Ethan the chance to face himself, and to see if the "himself" he sees, is someone he wants to be around.

Book DescriptionEthan Allen Hawley, the protagonist of Steinbeck's last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned. With Ethan no longer a member of Long Island's aristocratic class, his wife is restless, and his teenage children are hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards. Set in Steinbeck's contemporary 1960 America, the novel explores the tenuous line between private and public honesty, and today ranks alongside his most acclaimed works of penetrating insight into the American condition.My ReviewThis may not be Steinbeck's best novel, but it surely is one in which we can identify with the main character of Ethan Allen Hawley and his personal struggle of morality between what is right and wrong. It is a relevant story for the 50's but speaks also to the lack of moral integrity of today's corrupt standards. Ethan's character seemed more developed than the others which may be intentional and the plot had many twists and turns. The novel is a quick read but very thought provoking. The ending had an impact which is sadly understandable. I have read Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden but this novel is so different and won Steinbeck a Nobel Peace Prize for Literature which I believe was an award for his lifetime contribution. I do look forward to reading more of his books in the near future. I would highly recommend this book to those who like stories with life lessons.

The passage of decades has turned John Steinbeck's "The Winter of Our Discontent," a contemporary novel about modern trends when it was published in 1961, into a historical novel, a look back at how American life used to be. Yet I am also struck, reading it now all these years later, at what a prophetic novel it was. Steinbeck had his hand on the pulse of the nation. He seemed to know that the discontent he describes in his characters will sweep the country in the 1960s. He wants to blame President Eisenhower for this, but that seems simplistic. More likely it was caused by the period of peace and prosperity, following years of Depression and war, and the hard moral choices required by these sudden good times.The novel tells of one man's moral choices. Ethan Allen Hawley works as a grocery store clerk, a situation brought about because his father lost the Hawley family fortune. Every day he hears comments about his family's prosperous past and complaints from his wife and children about their relative poverty. It is 1960, and they still do not own a television.Hawley recalls that as a loyal soldier during the war he had killed enemy soldiers, but he has not killed anyone since then. Killing other men then did not make him an evil man now. Similarly, he reasons, if he can make a small fortune by illegal or immoral means, he can still be a good citizen later when he builds on that fortune and reclaims his place in society. He seriously contemplates robbing the bank next to his store, then finds a way to wealth that will be safer and yet, if anything, more unethical.Steinbeck structures his plot so that many related elements all happen at once -- an alcoholic friend happens to own the only land in the area suitable for an airport, the owner of the grocery may have entered the United States illegally some 40 years before, town officials are indicted for corruption, Hawley's son enters a national citizenship essay contest and, among other developments, the local banker, whose family may have been responsible for the Hawley family's bankruptcy, is wheeling and dealing to try to build an even larger fortune. That so much happens, even on the same holiday weekend, seems a bit of a stretch, giving "The Winter of Our Discontent" the feel not so much of a modern novel as of a fable, like so many of Steinbeck's other notable works.

My favourite Steinbeck. A moral tale told with the lightest touch only a Great Master can manage. And what is Steinbeck if not a Great Master.

"Can a man think out his life, or must he just tag along?" Indeed, do we have the will to choose or are we victims of environment and circumstance? Written in masterful prose and the last of Steinbeck's work published before his death, he gives us Ethan, an essentially "good" man faced with a number of moral choices throughout. Narrated mostly in the first person, we get a firsthand view into a mind that churns constantly over which path to take and why. Having come from a prominent family whose fortunes were lost by his father, Ethan decides that a temporary disregard of his moral compass may be worth it, if it means a better life for his wife and children. Set around 1960, Steinbeck also wanted to convey a picture of moral disintegration in the U.S., that people were happy to be "eaters" or consumers at the lowest possible personal cost and with little regard to the ethical cost.In his late night cogitation, Ethan converses with his long passed sea captain grandfather. When he asked the "old Cap'n" for guidance, he replied, "You'll have to work it out yourself. What's good for one is bad for another, and you won't know till after." Ethan thought, "[t]he old bastard might have helped me then, but perhaps it wouldn't have made any difference. No one wants advice--only corroboration."In the portrayal of our antihero, Ethan, other less than honorable town characters, and in Ethan's children, Steinbeck certainly saw mankind on a negative moral trajectory. Perhaps it was meant to be cautionary. At the end of the book, I still got the sense that life will go on, in spite of ourselves.

Ethan Allen Hawley comes from a wealthy New England family whose fortune dribbled away after the end of the whaling industry. With Ethan's father, the last vestiges were lost to speculative investing and the Great Depression; Ethan himself failed to keep the grocery store he owned afloat, and when we meet him he is employed by the current owner, an old Sicilian man named Marullo who leaves most of the day-to-day operation of the business to Ethan. While Ethan is a good-natured, conscientious employee, a loving husband and father with a tendency to odd endearments and silliness, we sense an underlying dissatisfaction, a "quiet desperation", in his daily routine. He is scrupulously honest--never takes anything home from the store without accounting for it and deducting the price from his wages; turns down a bribe from a competing supplier to "throw a little business our way"; refuses to risk investing his wife's small inheritance for fear of losing her security. And yet. He must do something, as he sees it, so his wife can hold her head up, so his son and daughter will feel pride in being Hawleys, so he himself can be something more than just a "grocery clerk" whose ancestors once owned a substantial portion of the town. When he learns that Mr. Marullo may have immigrated illegally 40 years before, he begins to hatch a multi-faceted plot that involves both theft and betrayal, and that relies heavily on the untouchable integrity he's known for. It's impossible not to like Ethan Hawley, a man who clearly loves his family (even when he's "advising" his daughter to kill her brother), a man who names his suits (Old Blue, Sweet George Brown, Dorian Grey, Burying Black and Dobbin), who gives speeches to the canned goods while sweeping out the store in the morning, who half-quotes and paraphrases and sports endlessly with words...in fact, we root for him to succeed, we do not want him to get caught with dirty hands, we want it all to work out...right, somehow.

Not as good as the "big" Steinbecks, but entertaining enough. Well-written and evocative, just a bit too "small town" in scope.

The back of this book talks about Steinbeck retuning to "the social themes that made his early work so powerful". I love that social themes are the point, and that I feel so immersed in the world that Steinbeck created here. Ethan has a dilema. His family money is long gone, and his children are anxious to have more of everything that will restore their status in the community. They are surly teens, and a bit of a disappointment to their dad, who prides himself on his honesty and his integrity. His wife, Mary, is supportive of Ethan using a little of the money she has inherited to invest in some business deal that she prefers to leave to the men. Ethan has a series of thoughts that turn to realisations and decides to set aside his integrity for a minute, join the masses and make himself some cash. Meanwhile his children are entering a nation-wide essay competition to profess their love for their country. The last 50 pages or so reveal the consequences of his acts, and give Ethan the chance to face himself, and to see if the "himself" he sees, is someone he wants to be around.

I enjoyed reading it. I'm not sure that I would say it was my favorite Steinbeck - but it was worth digging into - and would bear rereading after some more thought. The idea is that a "good" man is living his life as best he can while not giving in to the temptations that all men are prone to and most give in to, harming no one - it seems - except their honor. Presented with a strong grouping of these all at once - he gives in to what he thinks gives him the biggest gain for the smallest part of his honor. Realizing that the slope is slippery - he feels that he cannot live with the ill-gotten gains of his dishonor. It comes from a period where Steinbeck was influenced by the Arthurian tales and there are echoes of Percival and Lancelot in how men react to the everyday slips of life and try to retain their honor. It is less uplifting than other Steinbeck - hence only 3 stars. I'd give it 3.5 if I could as it is really good - but such a downer that I couldn't quite get to 4 stars.

Ethan is a character who defies easy description. He's sarcastic but also genuine and watching him carry out his plans is alternately repulsive and attractive at the same time. The number of references he makes is staggering but fun at the same time. I was surprised and also not surprised by the ending. Overall this seems a bleak statement on the state of humankind.

What is a talisman? A traditional understanding of the word, derived from the Greek via the Arabic tilasm, refers to a religious rite, its completion, and the symbol such as an amulet of that rite. The power in a talisman is implicit in its association with religion and this seems to be the sense in which it is used in The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck's last completed novel published in 1961. Perhaps I should have chosen as an epigraph the lines from Shakespeare's play, Richard III, "Now is the winter of our discontentMade glorious by this Sun of York.", but Steinbeck's novel, while including these lines in both parts one and two, is much more complex than suggested by this allusion with many layers of meaning, allusions, and references both literary and religious. With a contemporary setting it is nonetheless steeped in the tradition of family and country. The protagonist, Ethan Allen Hawley, traces his own family tradition in America almost two centuries although the wealth of the Hawley's and their concomitant social standing has deteriorated over the years so much that, when the story opens, Ethan is a clerk in a small town grocery store. The store is owned by an Italian-American, Mr. Marullo, who was born in Italy. "It's the first time in history a Hawley was ever a clerk in a guinea grocery."(p 14)Ethan's personal ethics lead him into a conflict with Marullo early in the story that generates an interchange that underlines the difference in their perspectives on family tradition: Ethan says, "Hawley's have been living here since the middle seveteen hundreds. You're a foreigner. You wouldn't know about that. We've been getting along with our neighbors and being decent all that time. If you think you can barge in from Sicily and change that. you're wrong." Marullo responds, putting Ethan in his place with these words, "You think Marullo is a guinea name, wop name, dago name. My genitori, my name, is maybe two, three thousand years old. Marullus is from Rome, Valerius Maximus tells about it. What's two hundred years?"(p 21)For Ethan, upon reflection, this perspective "was the shocking perspective that makes a man wonder: If I've missed this, what else have I failed to see?"(p 22) That is the question, for Ethan is a man who fails to see a lot of things in this story of several months, momentous in some ways, in his life. Ominously the story begins on Good Friday with all the symbolism entailed in the ceremony of Easter weekend. This begins a moral journey for Ethan, complete with literary allusions both to Dante's hell and to Morte d'Arthur. He faces dilemmas on the business front from suppliers and from his own belief that he must restore the social standing of the Hawley name. But on an even deeper, more personal note he faces another biblical question: Am I my brother's keeper? For his closest friend from and early age, Danny Taylor, needs his help even though Ethan "knows" that his help is unlikely to make any real difference in the direction of Danny's life. Danny's dilemma is presented with a slight allusion to Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Imp of the Perverse". The issue is raised by Poe and alluded to with the phrase, "you've raised my imp."(p 119) Simply put: Why does a man who knows what is the right thing to do go ahead and do the wrong thing? Philosophers since Socrates have pondered this dilemma and while our increased understanding of our unconscious desires and the importance of the will may suggest some answers this is still a difficult issue; one that would bedevil Danny Taylor and perhaps Ethan as well.These dilemmas blended with the vicissitudes of family life with his wife Mary and two children yield a richly woven and deeply thoughtful novel. It is one that raises questions, presents challenges and provides a believable story that enjoins the reader to question his own beliefs.

An excellent depiction of the pull of money and status, the moral dilemmas it presents, and the price its pursuit costs. The book is excellently written and the plot obscure enough to keep the reader guessing till the end.

I was really disappointed in this book. The story wasn't engaging, nor were the characters. I expected more, because I have really enjoyed the other Steinbeck books I have read as an adult. Steinbeck raised a lot of moral issues, which he does in all his books. However in this book, he seemed to be so focused on the moral tale that everything else was lost.

A classic! The audiobook reader has an ideal voice for the story.

I very much enjoyed this novel. A study in morality, it is both humorous and heart breaking. Steinbeck is a true master of his art. An absolutely perfect piece.

The Winter of Our Discontent was another of example of Steinbeck's genius. Steinbeck's writing in this book makes the reader feel the surface appreciation of being content with what you have, yet Ethan's underlining discontent. This book is still relevant, especially in this time of economic crisis.

Kind of a bummer, but he's Steinbeck, so he knows how to write a book, and you can at least enjoy his capable handling of the material.

Maybe a little dated by now, but I liked the portrayal of small-town corruption with an upstanding face, and the main character's own moral struggle.

Description from back of book

"Ethan Hawley, a descendant of proud New England sea captains, works as a clerk in the grocery store owned by an Italian immigrant. His wie is restless, his teenage children are troubled and disoriented, hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards."

My comments

I love John Steinbeck. This book is no exception. This book is a powerful indictment of middle class materialism, of the emptiness and hurt that is necessary to reach the 'top' ranks of society, and the moral depravity that is necessary to get there. Ethan starts out as a morally superior person, who is forced - through love of his family, and the wish to give them what they most desire (materially) - sells himself out for monetary gain and social position.

I also loved the writing style of this book. Ethan's narrative, while sometimes rambling, was brilliant to read, and in it, Steinbeck struck at the heart of many of America's ills. Truly brilliant book.

Description from back of book

"Ethan Hawley, a descendant of proud New England sea captains, works as a clerk in the grocery store owned by an Italian immigrant. His wie is restless, his teenage children are troubled and disoriented, hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards."

My comments

I love John Steinbeck. This book is no exception. This book is a powerful indictment of middle class materialism, of the emptiness and hurt that is necessary to reach the 'top' ranks of society, and the moral depravity that is necessary to get there. Ethan starts out as a morally superior person, who is forced - through love of his family, and the wish to give them what they most desire (materially) - sells himself out for monetary gain and social position.

I also loved the writing style of this book. Ethan's narrative, while sometimes rambling, was brilliant to read, and in it, Steinbeck struck at the heart of many of America's ills. Truly brilliant book.

Ethan Allen Hawley is a former member of Long Island's aristocratic class. His family can trace its roots all the way back to the time of the Pilgrims; and he can count among his illustrious forebears sea-captains and men of property. He is an heir to the upright New England tradition.Due to Ethan's late father losing the family fortune, Ethan now works as a grocery clerk in the same grocery store that his family once owned. With the decline in their social status, Ethan's wife, Mary, becomes restless, and his two teenage children are eager for the material comforts which Ethan can no longer provide. They resent their mediocre social and economic status, and do not value the honesty and integrity that Ethan struggles to maintain in the face of a morally corrupt society.Growing increasingly jaded by what he views as the underhandedness, cheating and shady dealings that seems to permeate his town with regard to the acquisition of money and success, Ethan, in a moment of personal moral crisis, decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous code of ethics - confident that he will not become corrupted by his actions.I did enjoy reading this book, although I must admit that initially I found the character of Ethan Allen Hawley slightly annoying. I eventually got more used to his manner and by about halfway through the book I was caught up in the flow of the plot. Overall, I thought that this was an interesting story. In my opinion, it certainly deserves to be classified as a classic, although personally, I may have preferred reading some of John Steinbeck's other works. I give this book an A!

The Winter of Our Discontent, Steinbeck's final novel, doesn't read much like early Steinbeck. But, contrary to many critics, that's not entirely a bad thing. A lot of early Steinbeck read like faux-Hemingway, and while the first couple chapters of The Winter of Our Discontent read like faux-Sinclair Lewis (at least he was imitating a better author by this point), after that he seems to find his own voice and later the stylistic similarities to his masterpiece East of Eden emerge...though by the end this is a rather unique novel, even among Steinbeck's own oeuvre.The Winter of Our Discontent follows Ethan Allen Hawley, a down-on-his-luck grocery store clerk who decides to put morality aside temporarily in order to gain wealth and power, after which he intends to resume his former incorruptible ways. But in the end he learns this is too high a price to pay and is nearly destroyed by it.Exceptionally well written (perhaps Steinbeck's best in that regard), and with fascinating, complex characters and an interesting story (if you stick with it, though it has its ups and downs), this is the kind of book that you feel like you need to read at least two or three times to fully get a handle on. But after my first reading, I'm provisionally rating it four stars and declaring it my second-favorite by Steinbeck, after only East of Eden. Skip The Grapes of Wrath and read this!

The Winter of our discontent by John SteinbeckEthan runs the store and others approach him to take some cuts in the form of money. Everybody does it, bribes..Mary his wife wants more for her and the kids. She has money from her family that she hopes he will turn into more by investing.Others in town want him to buy some stocks and bonds, others want him to buy real estate. He's quite happy with what he has and wants Mary to save the money for her future, if he's not around.His boss tells him how to charge more money for food they sell by not cutting off fat or the bread edges..Love the legend and talk of the widow's walk and the history of the whaling industry in the town.Love the cave he found to really think about things..His father had gambled their money away and he's very reluctant to gamble his wives money...His children also are involved in a contest, write how you love America and they hope to win money..He has the opportunity to change their lives...

This book is probably Steinbeck's greatest work. I think the reason it isn't more recognized is because of it's bleak, pessimistic nature. It's the writing of someone who's sick of phony American values, but it rings true. The writing here is fabulous. The emotional value surpasses many of his more widely-reviewed books.

First Steinbeck that I've read in a long, long time, and a good one to start with as he takes on the persona of a "regular guy" caught between his family, his business, and his dissatisfactions.

A beautiful little book - a chapter in a man's life set down for all to see. Steinbeck made an art out of taking a small life and looking at it under a microscope - "East of Eden" being a superb example. But he did more than that - he would take an occasional look up from said microscope and breathe in everything around him, just as he does here.