Having read Of Mice and Men in high school and The Grapes of Wrath recently, I turned with delight to one of Steinbeck’s later novels, The Winter of our Discontent. It was a slow book to start, the pace was a bit uneven and stumbled a bit, but I did finish it last night before bed. The last one hundred pages flew by.

The story is told in first person, from the perspective of a man in New Baytown in the New England region. He is a proud man, an honest man, and one who’s current situation belies his long and proud family history as whalers and important men about town. Working as a clerk in a store, he takes life as it comes, remaining honest and faithful to his principles. But with pressure inside and from his family and peers, he decideds to embark on a short detour to his integrity. The ensuing story unwinds differently than expected, but still with a great deal of introspection.

The ending has a definite Hollywood feel about it, perhaps reflecting on Steinbeck’s time in the film industry. The book also contains lots of stereotypes and cardboard characters that was certainly not his style in the first two books I mentioned at the beginning of this entry. One could say it was a sign of the times, but this book was written in 1962 (and situated in 1960) and Steinbeck’s prior works from 20-30 years earlier didn’t have such limitations. The only fully drawn character is Ethan Allen Hawley, the narrator. Perhaps as a study in male psychology this novel excels, but as a piece of literature, it falls far short of his earlier works.