Status
Available
Call number
Publication
The Viking Press (Book Club Edition)
Pages
281
Description
Ethan Hawley, a descendant of proud New England sea captains, works as a clerk in the grocery store owned by an Italian immigrant. His wife is restless, his teenaged children are troubled and discontented, 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.
Description
The story concerns mainly Ethan Allen Hawley, a former member of Long Island's aristocratic class. Ethan's late father lost the family fortune, and thus Ethan works as a grocery store clerk. His wife Mary and their children resent their mediocre social and economic status, and do not value the honesty and integrity that Ethan struggles to maintain amidst a corrupt society. These external factors and his own psychological turmoil lead Ethan to try to overcome his inherent integrity in order to reclaim his former status and wealth.
No Bar Code
No Bar Code
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1961
Physical description
281 p.; 8.5 inches
Similar in this library
Lexile
770L
User reviews
LibraryThing member edwinbcn
The winter of our discontent is the novel which won John Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was also his last novel.
Many readers consider The winter of our discontent a flawed or weak novel, particularly part one, seems to contribute little to the story. It is the author's provenance to
What are morals? Are they simply words? (p.186) Ethan Allen Hawley asks himself. Aren't people thinking anymore? Thinking about their actions, their motives, and whether what they do is moral or immoral, honourable or dishonourable. Ethan concludes that it all depends on whether they succeed or not. What a man thinks does not show in his face, and as long as they succeed, they can get away with anything. To most of the world success is never bad. (...) Strength and success—they are above morality, above criticism.(p.187).
At the beginning of the book,the Hawley family is a happy family. Chapter One starts with one of the lightest, happiest dialogues in literature. Ethan is content with his station is life. But his family members are not. Harking to a more glorious past, when Ethan's ancestors were rich, they want to improve their situation, and have a share in the riches of the world. All around Ethan, people are busying themselves making money or fame, in ways which are morally objectionable to Ethan. But as he is constantly battered by others, suggesting how to do such things and get away with it, Ethan starts contemplating and making steps to get on in life. He considers taking kick-backs, he plans and prepares to rob a bank, he betrays his boss and gets entangled into a business deal, where obstruction rather than cooperation reaps him wealth.
However, Ethan's new lifestyle shows in cracks. He is not as happy as before, and the lightness which characterized part one is gone. Doubt first arises, when his boss, Marullo, whom he has betrayed, bequeaths the grocery store to Ethan, honouring his boundless honesty, a thing Ethan would no longer believe of himself, the irony being that this all comes following his betrayal. However, what brings it all home to Ethan is his son's plagiarism in a National Essay Competition. His son receives favourable mention, and is chosen to appear on television, which is eventually cancelled as it is discovered, belatedly, that the essay is largely plagiarized.
Published in 1961, The winter of our discontent describes a process that Steinbeck saw happening in American society; a transition from the ethos of hard-working and honest citizens in the 1940s-1950s, to the greed and money-driven erosion or morals of the 1960s and subsequent era. The fact that so many readers dislike or fail to understand this book, shows how far we have drifted.
Many readers consider The winter of our discontent a flawed or weak novel, particularly part one, seems to contribute little to the story. It is the author's provenance to
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express clearly in words what is difficult for others to describe. An adage remembered by many authors is that showing is better than telling. So, within the space of just under 300 pages, The winter of our discontent is a short novel, John Steinbeck shows us how a man starts doubting himself.What are morals? Are they simply words? (p.186) Ethan Allen Hawley asks himself. Aren't people thinking anymore? Thinking about their actions, their motives, and whether what they do is moral or immoral, honourable or dishonourable. Ethan concludes that it all depends on whether they succeed or not. What a man thinks does not show in his face, and as long as they succeed, they can get away with anything. To most of the world success is never bad. (...) Strength and success—they are above morality, above criticism.(p.187).
At the beginning of the book,the Hawley family is a happy family. Chapter One starts with one of the lightest, happiest dialogues in literature. Ethan is content with his station is life. But his family members are not. Harking to a more glorious past, when Ethan's ancestors were rich, they want to improve their situation, and have a share in the riches of the world. All around Ethan, people are busying themselves making money or fame, in ways which are morally objectionable to Ethan. But as he is constantly battered by others, suggesting how to do such things and get away with it, Ethan starts contemplating and making steps to get on in life. He considers taking kick-backs, he plans and prepares to rob a bank, he betrays his boss and gets entangled into a business deal, where obstruction rather than cooperation reaps him wealth.
However, Ethan's new lifestyle shows in cracks. He is not as happy as before, and the lightness which characterized part one is gone. Doubt first arises, when his boss, Marullo, whom he has betrayed, bequeaths the grocery store to Ethan, honouring his boundless honesty, a thing Ethan would no longer believe of himself, the irony being that this all comes following his betrayal. However, what brings it all home to Ethan is his son's plagiarism in a National Essay Competition. His son receives favourable mention, and is chosen to appear on television, which is eventually cancelled as it is discovered, belatedly, that the essay is largely plagiarized.
Published in 1961, The winter of our discontent describes a process that Steinbeck saw happening in American society; a transition from the ethos of hard-working and honest citizens in the 1940s-1950s, to the greed and money-driven erosion or morals of the 1960s and subsequent era. The fact that so many readers dislike or fail to understand this book, shows how far we have drifted.
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LibraryThing member richardderus
This is a wonderful short novel by a master of his craft at the peak of his form. It is also his last novel.
Some people at the time it was published felt it was a wrong turning for Steinbeck ("The Grapes of Wrath", "Tortilla Flat") to abandon both the west coast that had made him famous and brought
The POV is of Ethan, a man who is the degenerate scion of a venerable family. He is married with teenaged kids, and he will do anything to support his family. Including, to their horror, work for an Italian grocer as his clerk. The nerve of the man, a son of the founder of his town, working for someone who *should* be his gardener, according to his friends and his kids.
Well, he thinks, how can I help it, we all gotta eat. So he hatches a plot that will restore the family "honor" by swindling a friend. He goes through with it. He gets what he wants. And, frankly, so does the "swindled" friend, an alcoholic prowling for his next few thousand drinks.
This isn't really Steinbecky stuff, it's too hard to pin down from a moral standpoint. On the other hand, it's superbly told, and it's amazingly well crafted, and it's undoubtedly the best thing Steinbeck wrote after 1950. Reviews were harsh, sales were poor, and Steinbeck lost heart for fiction after that. He published two travel books before his death in 1968, a mere 30 years after "The Grapes of Wrath" burst on the scene. Imagine the wonders he could have produced had he lived to an Updikey 80-plus.
What a wonderful read, and so overlooked...please don't overlook it any longer!
Some people at the time it was published felt it was a wrong turning for Steinbeck ("The Grapes of Wrath", "Tortilla Flat") to abandon both the west coast that had made him famous and brought
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his considerable social conscience to the world's attention for an east coast grifter's POV. "The Winter of Our Discontent" is a story that has nothing but shades of gray. Everyone in it is shady somehow. That is, I think, what verschmeckled the reviewers and made the public angry. Up until then, there were clear-cut Good Guys and Bad Guys in every Steinbeck tale. Here...no, no one qualifies as all good or all bad.The POV is of Ethan, a man who is the degenerate scion of a venerable family. He is married with teenaged kids, and he will do anything to support his family. Including, to their horror, work for an Italian grocer as his clerk. The nerve of the man, a son of the founder of his town, working for someone who *should* be his gardener, according to his friends and his kids.
Well, he thinks, how can I help it, we all gotta eat. So he hatches a plot that will restore the family "honor" by swindling a friend. He goes through with it. He gets what he wants. And, frankly, so does the "swindled" friend, an alcoholic prowling for his next few thousand drinks.
This isn't really Steinbecky stuff, it's too hard to pin down from a moral standpoint. On the other hand, it's superbly told, and it's amazingly well crafted, and it's undoubtedly the best thing Steinbeck wrote after 1950. Reviews were harsh, sales were poor, and Steinbeck lost heart for fiction after that. He published two travel books before his death in 1968, a mere 30 years after "The Grapes of Wrath" burst on the scene. Imagine the wonders he could have produced had he lived to an Updikey 80-plus.
What a wonderful read, and so overlooked...please don't overlook it any longer!
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LibraryThing member Crazymamie
After finishing this book, I needed to take a couple of days just to let it settle and to think about what I wanted to say about it. I really liked the ending, and I was slightly surprised to reach it because this book was a rough start for me. The book is divided into two parts, and the second
"Joey looked like a horse and he smiled like a horse, raising a long upper lip to show big square teeth. Joseph Patrick Morphy, Joey-boy--"the Morph"--a real popular guy for one only a few years at Baytown. A joker who got off his gags veily-eyed like a poker player, but he whinnied at other people's jokes, whether or not he heard them. A wise guy, the Morph, had the inside dope on everything-and everything from Mafia to Mountbatten-but he gave it out with a rising inflection, almost like a question. That took the smart-aleck tone out of it, made his listener a party to it so that he could repeat it as his own....The Morph knew everybody intimately and never used a first name."
Where the story started to fall into place for me was in the middle of chapter five. Here the annoying banter between Ethan and his wife, Mary, begins to take a back seat to the plot, and the pacing of the story starts to pick up. So, if you are one of those readers who apply the Pearl Rule, you would miss out on a good book because all of this occurs at about page 70, which is almost half way through part one. Ethan is facing a moral dilemma - he comes from a family that once had wealth and prestige in the community, but his father lost the family fortune and so Ethan finds himself working as a clerk in a grocery store instead of owning the store. His family is pressuring him to be more successful and to make more money. Ethan sees no way to honestly improve their fortunes, but he has always been an honest and upright man. He starts manipulating ideas that other people and circumstances place before him, and a plan forms in his head. All the while, Ethan ponders whether or not corruption can be placed aside when you are done with it. Can you simply be corrupt in the moment, and then return to the person you were before you gave into greed or malice?
"“The structure of my change was feeling, pressures from without, Mary’s wish, Allen’s desires, Ellen’s anger, Mr. Baker’s help. Only at the last when the move is mounted and prepared does thought place a roof on the building and bring in words to explain and to justify. Suppose my humble and interminable clerkship was not virtue at all but a moral laziness? For any success, boldness is required. Perhaps I was simply timid, fearful of consequences-in a word, lazy....Suppose for a limited time I abolished all the rules, not just some of them.Once the objective was reached, could they not be all reassumed?....Have any of the great fortunes we admire been put together without ruthlessness? I can't think of any. And if I should put the rules aside for a time, I knew I would wear scars but would they be worse than the scars of failure I was wearing? To be alive at all is to have scars. All this wondering was the weather vane on top of the building of unrest and of discontent. It could be done because it had been done. But if I opened that door, could I ever get it closed again? I did not know"
This book was the last of Steinbeck's work to be published before his death, and although, in my opinion, it does not reach the depth of his writing in Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, it is well worth reading. The last few pages especially were beautifully rendered, and there were many gems along the way. I will definitely reread this one.
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part is much more readable. In both parts, Steinbeck begins the narration in third person and then switches to first person, which is an interesting choice - he gives us an outside voice that sets the stage and then switches to an inside voice where our viewpoint is limited to that of Ethan Allen Hawley, the main character. At first the story is jarring and runs at an uneven pace - it is hard to get a feel for where the story is going or why. It is hard to decipher Ethan's intentions and motives even though the voice is his own. The character descriptions are vintage Steinbeck:"Joey looked like a horse and he smiled like a horse, raising a long upper lip to show big square teeth. Joseph Patrick Morphy, Joey-boy--"the Morph"--a real popular guy for one only a few years at Baytown. A joker who got off his gags veily-eyed like a poker player, but he whinnied at other people's jokes, whether or not he heard them. A wise guy, the Morph, had the inside dope on everything-and everything from Mafia to Mountbatten-but he gave it out with a rising inflection, almost like a question. That took the smart-aleck tone out of it, made his listener a party to it so that he could repeat it as his own....The Morph knew everybody intimately and never used a first name."
Where the story started to fall into place for me was in the middle of chapter five. Here the annoying banter between Ethan and his wife, Mary, begins to take a back seat to the plot, and the pacing of the story starts to pick up. So, if you are one of those readers who apply the Pearl Rule, you would miss out on a good book because all of this occurs at about page 70, which is almost half way through part one. Ethan is facing a moral dilemma - he comes from a family that once had wealth and prestige in the community, but his father lost the family fortune and so Ethan finds himself working as a clerk in a grocery store instead of owning the store. His family is pressuring him to be more successful and to make more money. Ethan sees no way to honestly improve their fortunes, but he has always been an honest and upright man. He starts manipulating ideas that other people and circumstances place before him, and a plan forms in his head. All the while, Ethan ponders whether or not corruption can be placed aside when you are done with it. Can you simply be corrupt in the moment, and then return to the person you were before you gave into greed or malice?
"“The structure of my change was feeling, pressures from without, Mary’s wish, Allen’s desires, Ellen’s anger, Mr. Baker’s help. Only at the last when the move is mounted and prepared does thought place a roof on the building and bring in words to explain and to justify. Suppose my humble and interminable clerkship was not virtue at all but a moral laziness? For any success, boldness is required. Perhaps I was simply timid, fearful of consequences-in a word, lazy....Suppose for a limited time I abolished all the rules, not just some of them.Once the objective was reached, could they not be all reassumed?....Have any of the great fortunes we admire been put together without ruthlessness? I can't think of any. And if I should put the rules aside for a time, I knew I would wear scars but would they be worse than the scars of failure I was wearing? To be alive at all is to have scars. All this wondering was the weather vane on top of the building of unrest and of discontent. It could be done because it had been done. But if I opened that door, could I ever get it closed again? I did not know"
This book was the last of Steinbeck's work to be published before his death, and although, in my opinion, it does not reach the depth of his writing in Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, it is well worth reading. The last few pages especially were beautifully rendered, and there were many gems along the way. I will definitely reread this one.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
When we meet our protagonist Ethan Allen Hawley, he's content with his job as a grocery clerk, even though he is the descendant of a powerful family that once owned most of the town thanks to a fortune earned in the shipping industry. But the fortune is long gone, lost by Ethan's father, and Ethan
I didn't know what to make of the first part which served to establish Ethan's personality and position in life and the society of his ancestral hometown. Ethan seemed difficult to understand and his motives were not at all clear, probably reflecting his own state of mind. In the second part, we move into action and one event quickly succeeds another, offering plenty of surprises and drama, but never letting the reader rest from questioning the deeper implications of each event. Steinbeck may have won the Nobel Prize on the strength of this novel, which he wrote to as a commentary on the moral decline of postwar America, but it left me bemused and quite convinced that my appreciation for him as a great writer is based on other novels than this one.
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himself has lost the ownership of his grocery store and now works there for an Italian immigrant. Though he often reflects on this state of affairs, he's not embittered by them, though his wife and children aren't quite as willing to accept their fate. They'd all like to have more things, and feel ashamed of lacking the distinction once bestowed on their ancestors, so Ethan starts thinking up plans to help him regain his standing and wealth. These plans conflict with Ethan's morals, but he wants to please his family and is willing to do whatever it takes, as long as he doesn't have to commit murder to reach his goals; but the rest is fair game. I didn't know what to make of the first part which served to establish Ethan's personality and position in life and the society of his ancestral hometown. Ethan seemed difficult to understand and his motives were not at all clear, probably reflecting his own state of mind. In the second part, we move into action and one event quickly succeeds another, offering plenty of surprises and drama, but never letting the reader rest from questioning the deeper implications of each event. Steinbeck may have won the Nobel Prize on the strength of this novel, which he wrote to as a commentary on the moral decline of postwar America, but it left me bemused and quite convinced that my appreciation for him as a great writer is based on other novels than this one.
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LibraryThing member CarolynSchroeder
I just did not feel this one was on a par with Steinbeck's other works. It is actually pretty poorly written (especially the switching of tenses, the constant questions and assumptions about how other humans might think/feel; and the dialog is absolutely tedious and weird), which made it hard to
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read, or just not as enjoyable as Steinbeck usually is. I often had to re-read whole paragraphs. But the most difficult part of this novel was that it was basically comprised of a bunch of repugnant people doing repugnant things (with reflection and quasi-flashbacks on the characters' repugnant ancestors). I truly did not care how each succeeded or failed, although the novel attempts to show the moral degradation of America in the 60s on the ebb of developmental/commercial explosion through these people. I struggled mightily to finish this one and came close to stopping about half way. Ultimately, I did finish it. The plot is a bit interesting though, how it all unfolds, who is scheming who and who just morally gives up. The ending is kind of good, leaving the reader with her own view of what happens to Ethan. Readers seem very divided on whether this is Steinbeck's worst, or his best. I'm in the former category. I tried VERY hard to like it (on recommendation of a friend), but I just did not. Show Less
LibraryThing member avidmom
The Winter of Our Discontent by Steinbeck is a story about a man in a moral quandary. Ethan is from a wealthy family that has long been established in his native New England community. Unfortunately, Ethan’s father lost the family fortune and now Ethan finds himself working as a clerk in the very
And here’s Ethan’s problem. He can see ways to reestablish his wealth and status, but it would require doing things that while not illegal per se, one could certainly argue that they are unethical if not downright immoral. The characters surrounding him are no saints either so Ethan starts “looking out for number one” as he is advised to do.
It’s no coincidence that the story starts on Good Friday. Ethan makes a choice here to crucify his moral self and, after he accomplishes his goal to get back on top, to resurrect his old moral self. The question is how far will Ethan go to regain his wealth and status in the community? Is anything or anyone off limits? What consequences will Ethan’s actions have for the people around him? Will his temporary suspension of his usual code of conduct affect his kids? How? More importantly, how will Ethan’s actions affect him? How severe will those effects be? After operating in the darkness, can Ethan come back into the light?
This offering from Steinbeck is not the most entertaining novel I have read of his so far (for that see Cannery Row or The Wayward Bus). The story is a little slow at the beginning but Steinbeck’s excellent writing keeps the reader engaged. What I liked most about this particular novel was Steinbeck’s alternate use of the third person and first person narrative. We get to see the self Ethan presents to the world and Ethan’s true inner self. We get a firsthand account of the internal struggles he goes through as he plans and plots his comeback. Because of this, we get a three-dimensional view of Ethan that makes him incredibly human and likeable despite his actions.
The Winter of Our Discontent is not a book you simply read and then place back on the bookshelf. It’s a book that makes you think .
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grocery store his family used to own. Ethan’s immediate family, his wife and teenage son and daughter, are anxiously waiting for Ethan to regain the wealth and status that they see part of his rightful inheritance. Ethan seems to be content as a clerk; however, he wants to make his wife and kids happy and here begins his mission to reestablish his family name, fortune, and standing in the community.And here’s Ethan’s problem. He can see ways to reestablish his wealth and status, but it would require doing things that while not illegal per se, one could certainly argue that they are unethical if not downright immoral. The characters surrounding him are no saints either so Ethan starts “looking out for number one” as he is advised to do.
It’s no coincidence that the story starts on Good Friday. Ethan makes a choice here to crucify his moral self and, after he accomplishes his goal to get back on top, to resurrect his old moral self. The question is how far will Ethan go to regain his wealth and status in the community? Is anything or anyone off limits? What consequences will Ethan’s actions have for the people around him? Will his temporary suspension of his usual code of conduct affect his kids? How? More importantly, how will Ethan’s actions affect him? How severe will those effects be? After operating in the darkness, can Ethan come back into the light?
This offering from Steinbeck is not the most entertaining novel I have read of his so far (for that see Cannery Row or The Wayward Bus). The story is a little slow at the beginning but Steinbeck’s excellent writing keeps the reader engaged. What I liked most about this particular novel was Steinbeck’s alternate use of the third person and first person narrative. We get to see the self Ethan presents to the world and Ethan’s true inner self. We get a firsthand account of the internal struggles he goes through as he plans and plots his comeback. Because of this, we get a three-dimensional view of Ethan that makes him incredibly human and likeable despite his actions.
The Winter of Our Discontent is not a book you simply read and then place back on the bookshelf. It’s a book that makes you think .
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LibraryThing member iayork
America, 1961 and 2001: This is a frightening book, with more real horror than ten of the standard fare. By detailing one man's sliding morals, it holds up a mirror to everyone, as we all have faced similar decisions between doing what is right and doing what is convenient. And facing ourselves can
Told partially in first person in spare but very effective prose, the road that Ethan spirals down is brilliantly portrayed, from his 'sermons' to the groceries, to his internal 'conversations' with his grandfather, to the seemingly chance happenings and conversations in his little town that spawns an idea and method for robbing the local bank, to his 'dropping a dime' on his immigrant boss, to his betrayal of his alcoholic friend Danny. Each action and decision proceeds logically from the previous one, each one more step down a path with no end, a path which Ethan continues to tell himself that he can abandon with no lingering aftereffects at any time. Each point is meticulously plotted, with all the proper items set in place before the action, and the choice of time, setting, and materials is rich in irony, a sure mark of an author fully in control of his subject.
The ending is deliberately ambiguous. By the time I reached that point I had been so drawn into Ethan's character I found that his final decision was tremendously important to me. Each reader ultimately must draw his own conclusion about what Ethan will do, but regardless of what answer the reader reaches, no reader can remain unaffected by this book, and will find his life richer for having read it.
Steinbeck was one of the great American writers. His Nobel prize was richly deserved, and this book, while not as well known as his Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, is certainly one of the reasons why, rivaling his other works in power and insightful looks at American society, just as valid today as when it was written, and peopled by a very living set of characters.
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be truly horrifying -- especially when the collective result of everyone's decisions is clearly evident in the ethical morass of today's world, from a President trying to re-formulate the English language to the Enron financial fiasco to wide-spread cheating on exams at military academies that pride themselves on the honor system. For this novel Steinbeck decided to remove himself from his normal California setting in favor of the East Coast. By doing so he availed himself of a milieu where tradition and 'old money' set the standards for acceptance into 'society'. Ethan Hawley is a man whose family used to be part of that 'society', but due to bad financial decisions he now finds himself clerking for an immigrant who owns the grocery store he himself used to own. With a wife quietly but constantly chiding him about her desires for a better life, to be able to hold her head up in society, and two kids constantly clamoring for more things, Ethan finds himself at a crossroads between a rigid moral code instilled in him by his aunt and grandfather, and providing a better life for those he loves.Told partially in first person in spare but very effective prose, the road that Ethan spirals down is brilliantly portrayed, from his 'sermons' to the groceries, to his internal 'conversations' with his grandfather, to the seemingly chance happenings and conversations in his little town that spawns an idea and method for robbing the local bank, to his 'dropping a dime' on his immigrant boss, to his betrayal of his alcoholic friend Danny. Each action and decision proceeds logically from the previous one, each one more step down a path with no end, a path which Ethan continues to tell himself that he can abandon with no lingering aftereffects at any time. Each point is meticulously plotted, with all the proper items set in place before the action, and the choice of time, setting, and materials is rich in irony, a sure mark of an author fully in control of his subject.
The ending is deliberately ambiguous. By the time I reached that point I had been so drawn into Ethan's character I found that his final decision was tremendously important to me. Each reader ultimately must draw his own conclusion about what Ethan will do, but regardless of what answer the reader reaches, no reader can remain unaffected by this book, and will find his life richer for having read it.
Steinbeck was one of the great American writers. His Nobel prize was richly deserved, and this book, while not as well known as his Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, is certainly one of the reasons why, rivaling his other works in power and insightful looks at American society, just as valid today as when it was written, and peopled by a very living set of characters.
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LibraryThing member sammii507
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.
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 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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member CareBear36
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.
LibraryThing member snash
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.
LibraryThing member sync03
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.
LibraryThing member coolpinkone
The book is about Ethan Hawley. He comes from a family that has generations of respect and wealth. The family fortune has drizzled and been depleted by the time we get to the story, all Ethan has is the family house and a small inheritance that came to his wife from her brother. Ethan is a clerk in
In my opinion Ethan could be happy with this life if not for the needs and wants of his wife and children along with social pressure. He is a man with a wonderful work ethic and very high moral ground. He knows that his wife (Mary) and kids (Allen and Ellen) are wanting material things that he can not afford such as cars, TVs, and other things that he can not provide for them. Even a simple family vacation is not in their grasp. He sees signs of moral decay in his children. He sees the decline in respect for their elders and work ethic. Ethan is a man of high moral integrity and he has no desire to bend and stoop to the lowered standards of morality in which seem to surround him and yet he is tempted.
In this story we watch Ethan struggle to justify bending the rules to get ahead in life. We have an inside view to his actions and thoughts via the awesome first person narrative voice. He comes across opportunities to get ahead that very from lightly sinister to very criminal. Through Steinbeck's clever and elegant prose we get to see how these actions and behaviors are justified and played out to bring Ethan the opportunities for wealth. Some of the opportunities are whether or not he will turn in Maurillo for being an illegal immigrant? Will he go after a sexy middle aged seductress? Will he take a surcharge on supplies for the shop? Will he rob a bank?
Opinion and Thoughts
I liked the story. I have a hard time saying, "go get this book and read it, you won't regret it," because I think it could be one of those hit and miss books. It might not seem relevant, and yet it can be relevant. But it took some thinking on my part to see it as relevant. Once my mind got going with moral corruption and decay I couldn't help think in our time we are so desensitized to moral corruption because of all the high profile people in one money, sex, or corrupt scandal after another, that Ethan's actions may seem commonplace. Or maybe we can't see why he is so conflicted.
When the book opened up, it read like a 1960's movie. While reading I was thinking of what the other members were thinking of it and I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy it now in my memory. It was witty, sarcastic and well written.
I am a huge John Steinbeck fan and for me the book did not disappoint. I would read it and I couldn't seem to put it down. But I did not find myself rushing to pick it back up even though I knew that each time I didn't want to put it down. I read it in three to four sitting over a month. That is rather strange for me for a book that I like. The first time I stopped to keep pace with the group. Then it felt like a chore to pick it up. Perhaps I knew I knew I wouldn't get lost in a super plot driven book. And perhaps I knew I would feel Steinbeck's agitation. Yes, I think so! I could feel Steinbeck in there struggling it out with Ethan. Sometimes it was frustrating and seemed like work. Oh! The power of a good writer!
The book has lingered with me and even today in my office I sit here observing others and wonder if they are having an "Ethan Hawley" moment. For me that mean holding high moral integrity, or being able to justify the wrong action as reasonable, as an end to a means. For East of Eden fans, this will bring to mind Timshel. I believe that John Steinbeck had this always in his mind and his thoughts and in his writing. And that is why I continue to be a fan and will continue to savor his works. This was the last work published before he died. A year later he won the Nobel Prize for literature. It was a prize he didn't feel he deserved. I firmly believe as much as any one has ever deserved it, he did.
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a store owned by Alfio Maurillo an Italian immigrant. Ethan has also survived serving in WWII so we see how that experience has affected his life and his views on morals and integrity to country, family and self.In my opinion Ethan could be happy with this life if not for the needs and wants of his wife and children along with social pressure. He is a man with a wonderful work ethic and very high moral ground. He knows that his wife (Mary) and kids (Allen and Ellen) are wanting material things that he can not afford such as cars, TVs, and other things that he can not provide for them. Even a simple family vacation is not in their grasp. He sees signs of moral decay in his children. He sees the decline in respect for their elders and work ethic. Ethan is a man of high moral integrity and he has no desire to bend and stoop to the lowered standards of morality in which seem to surround him and yet he is tempted.
In this story we watch Ethan struggle to justify bending the rules to get ahead in life. We have an inside view to his actions and thoughts via the awesome first person narrative voice. He comes across opportunities to get ahead that very from lightly sinister to very criminal. Through Steinbeck's clever and elegant prose we get to see how these actions and behaviors are justified and played out to bring Ethan the opportunities for wealth. Some of the opportunities are whether or not he will turn in Maurillo for being an illegal immigrant? Will he go after a sexy middle aged seductress? Will he take a surcharge on supplies for the shop? Will he rob a bank?
Opinion and Thoughts
I liked the story. I have a hard time saying, "go get this book and read it, you won't regret it," because I think it could be one of those hit and miss books. It might not seem relevant, and yet it can be relevant. But it took some thinking on my part to see it as relevant. Once my mind got going with moral corruption and decay I couldn't help think in our time we are so desensitized to moral corruption because of all the high profile people in one money, sex, or corrupt scandal after another, that Ethan's actions may seem commonplace. Or maybe we can't see why he is so conflicted.
When the book opened up, it read like a 1960's movie. While reading I was thinking of what the other members were thinking of it and I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy it now in my memory. It was witty, sarcastic and well written.
I am a huge John Steinbeck fan and for me the book did not disappoint. I would read it and I couldn't seem to put it down. But I did not find myself rushing to pick it back up even though I knew that each time I didn't want to put it down. I read it in three to four sitting over a month. That is rather strange for me for a book that I like. The first time I stopped to keep pace with the group. Then it felt like a chore to pick it up. Perhaps I knew I knew I wouldn't get lost in a super plot driven book. And perhaps I knew I would feel Steinbeck's agitation. Yes, I think so! I could feel Steinbeck in there struggling it out with Ethan. Sometimes it was frustrating and seemed like work. Oh! The power of a good writer!
The book has lingered with me and even today in my office I sit here observing others and wonder if they are having an "Ethan Hawley" moment. For me that mean holding high moral integrity, or being able to justify the wrong action as reasonable, as an end to a means. For East of Eden fans, this will bring to mind Timshel. I believe that John Steinbeck had this always in his mind and his thoughts and in his writing. And that is why I continue to be a fan and will continue to savor his works. This was the last work published before he died. A year later he won the Nobel Prize for literature. It was a prize he didn't feel he deserved. I firmly believe as much as any one has ever deserved it, he did.
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LibraryThing member gbill
A little heavy-handed at times, and it is apparent that Steinbeck wrote the novel as he says, to address the "moral degeneration" of America. The ending, somewhat ambiguous, was nice.
Quotes:
On failure:
"Men don't get knocked out, or I mean they can fight back against big things. What kills them is
On the inability to know others, even those close to us:
"Does anyone ever know even the outer fringe of another? What are you like in there? Mary - do you hear? Who are you in there?"
Quotes:
On failure:
"Men don't get knocked out, or I mean they can fight back against big things. What kills them is
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erosion; they get nudged into failure. They get slowly scared."On the inability to know others, even those close to us:
"Does anyone ever know even the outer fringe of another? What are you like in there? Mary - do you hear? Who are you in there?"
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LibraryThing member sync03
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.
LibraryThing member Jennifyr
The Winter of Our Discontent proves to be a difficult novel to review. The main character changes drastically throughout the book, and at times I wasn't sure whether I loved him or hated him. Steinbeck throws in little snippets of humor here and there and I actually let out a few laughs at some of
I can see though why this book might not be a favorite of some. It's difficult to watch a man sell his morals for money and struggle to come to terms with his own failure. For anyone who has ever been impoverished, or even just misanthropic at times, I'm sure they can relate to parts of this book a bit too much.
So, I suppose that the bottom line for this difficult review is this, for lovers of Steinbeck, you will continue to love, but for newcomers, wait to read this book until you have more of a feel or understanding for his work. And skip the introduction until AFTER you read it, because it gives a lot away.
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the dialogue. Steinbeck is a relatively new author to me (I read Mice & Men in high school and picked up East Of Eden just recently, almost, ugh, six years later!) but I have fallen quite in love with his work. I wouldn't recommend this for a first time Steinbeck reader though, but definitely recommended reading for any lover of his work. After reading this novel I went out and promptly bought The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, and can't wait to start reading through them all one by one. I can see though why this book might not be a favorite of some. It's difficult to watch a man sell his morals for money and struggle to come to terms with his own failure. For anyone who has ever been impoverished, or even just misanthropic at times, I'm sure they can relate to parts of this book a bit too much.
So, I suppose that the bottom line for this difficult review is this, for lovers of Steinbeck, you will continue to love, but for newcomers, wait to read this book until you have more of a feel or understanding for his work. And skip the introduction until AFTER you read it, because it gives a lot away.
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LibraryThing member jbarr5
The Winter of our discontent by John Steinbeck
Ethan 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
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...
Ethan 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
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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...
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LibraryThing member Toast.x2
Deciding to read this was one of the best moves i have made in a long time. I have always felt that Steinbeck was hit or miss. some of his work is easy. Others can never cath my attention enough to be able to make it worth the time. Reading Discontent, i thought at first i would be working with the
Ethan comes from money. The founders of New Baytown included his family. Whalers and supposed pirates, their fortunes were amassed over generations. through a series of bad decisions and bad advice, Ethan’s father loses it all. Ethan finds himself stuck working as a clerk at a local, immigrant owned grocery.
The main character, Ethan Allen Hawley, took some getting used to, but after 20 pages or so, i was very endeared to his character. He has a strange reserved quality that keeps everyone at a distance, even his family and friends. Strangely though, no one recognizes his reservations as he hides it all behind a veneer of humor and silliness. People see his shiny exterior and, blinded by the glare, do not look further in.
His story lends itself to the reader in a manner that makes him very likable. Stuck in a self perpetuating cycle of sameness, Ethan cannot be happy with the world he is in, but is far too afraid of change to do anything about it. his wife and children depend on him and taking chances could lose him all he holds dear. This all changes when Ethans wife has her fortune read by a friend, Margie Young-Hunt. This reading of the cards starts a Ethan thinking that his world is of his own making and no one can change his world except himself, the cost of this change is negotiable.
The whole story takes place between Easter and July 1960. Reading it gives a Unique insight into the era, which is only intensified by the workings of Ethan’s mind, sense of humor, and utter need for something better than what he is.
The following passage was my favorite two paragraphs from the book. It is the internal thinking of Ethan as he goes up to the attic to help his son, Allen, locate some research material.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I remember thinking how wise a man was H.C. Andersen. The king told his secrets down a well, and his secrets were safe. A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it has readers. Everyone takes what he wants or can from it and thus changes it to his measure. Some pick out parts and reject the rest, some strain the story through their mesh of prejudice, some paint it with their own delight. A story must have some points of contact with the reader to make him feel at home in it. Only then can he accept wonders. The tale I may tell to Allen must be differently built from the same tale told to my Mary, and that in turn shaped to fit Marullo if Marullo is to join it. But perhaps the Well of Hosay Andersen is best. It only receives, and the echo it gives back is quiet and soon over.
I guess we’re all, or most of us, the wards of that nineteenth-century science which denied existence to anything it could not measure or explain. The things we couldn’t explain went right on but surely not with our blessing. We did not see what we couldn’t explain, and meanwhile a great part of the world was abandoned to children, insane people, fools, and mystics, who were most interested in what is than why it is.So many old and lovely things are stored in the world’s attic, because we don’t want them around us and we don’t dare throw them out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
--
xpost RawBlurb.com
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latter of the two choices. I was dead wrong on this. As Steinbeck’s last work published before his death, it is a work worthy of the title “Literary Classic” that it is often assigned.Ethan comes from money. The founders of New Baytown included his family. Whalers and supposed pirates, their fortunes were amassed over generations. through a series of bad decisions and bad advice, Ethan’s father loses it all. Ethan finds himself stuck working as a clerk at a local, immigrant owned grocery.
The main character, Ethan Allen Hawley, took some getting used to, but after 20 pages or so, i was very endeared to his character. He has a strange reserved quality that keeps everyone at a distance, even his family and friends. Strangely though, no one recognizes his reservations as he hides it all behind a veneer of humor and silliness. People see his shiny exterior and, blinded by the glare, do not look further in.
His story lends itself to the reader in a manner that makes him very likable. Stuck in a self perpetuating cycle of sameness, Ethan cannot be happy with the world he is in, but is far too afraid of change to do anything about it. his wife and children depend on him and taking chances could lose him all he holds dear. This all changes when Ethans wife has her fortune read by a friend, Margie Young-Hunt. This reading of the cards starts a Ethan thinking that his world is of his own making and no one can change his world except himself, the cost of this change is negotiable.
The whole story takes place between Easter and July 1960. Reading it gives a Unique insight into the era, which is only intensified by the workings of Ethan’s mind, sense of humor, and utter need for something better than what he is.
The following passage was my favorite two paragraphs from the book. It is the internal thinking of Ethan as he goes up to the attic to help his son, Allen, locate some research material.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I remember thinking how wise a man was H.C. Andersen. The king told his secrets down a well, and his secrets were safe. A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it has readers. Everyone takes what he wants or can from it and thus changes it to his measure. Some pick out parts and reject the rest, some strain the story through their mesh of prejudice, some paint it with their own delight. A story must have some points of contact with the reader to make him feel at home in it. Only then can he accept wonders. The tale I may tell to Allen must be differently built from the same tale told to my Mary, and that in turn shaped to fit Marullo if Marullo is to join it. But perhaps the Well of Hosay Andersen is best. It only receives, and the echo it gives back is quiet and soon over.
I guess we’re all, or most of us, the wards of that nineteenth-century science which denied existence to anything it could not measure or explain. The things we couldn’t explain went right on but surely not with our blessing. We did not see what we couldn’t explain, and meanwhile a great part of the world was abandoned to children, insane people, fools, and mystics, who were most interested in what is than why it is.So many old and lovely things are stored in the world’s attic, because we don’t want them around us and we don’t dare throw them out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
--
xpost RawBlurb.com
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LibraryThing member LovingLit
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
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.
Ethan has a dilema. His family money is long gone, and his children are
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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.
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LibraryThing member BeaverMeyer
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
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widely-reviewed books. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmcilree
Very depressing story about using others to recover what you've lost.
LibraryThing member RachelPenso
This is one of the only books I read for pleasure while in college.
LibraryThing member GaryKbookworm
I just finished reading this book after my first read about 20 years ago. I really like Steinbeck and I hope to re-read the rest of his books especially East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath. This is a book about the decline of morals and one man's struggle (Ethan Hawley) to remain true to himself. No
What does a man do if given a chance to better his station in life?
Does he remain true to his conscience or does he justify his lapse by taking a chance to better his life? And is it worth the price one has to pay to take that chance if you have to live with that decision the rest of your life? And what kind of role model are you being to your children and future generations? Read the book. I think you will find it appropriate for Ethan's generation, ours, and those to come.
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man is perfect and Ethan finds himself constantly being hounded by his family and his friends for being content with his lowly life as a grocer clerk.What does a man do if given a chance to better his station in life?
Does he remain true to his conscience or does he justify his lapse by taking a chance to better his life? And is it worth the price one has to pay to take that chance if you have to live with that decision the rest of your life? And what kind of role model are you being to your children and future generations? Read the book. I think you will find it appropriate for Ethan's generation, ours, and those to come.
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LibraryThing member Wed7pm
The characters don't seem real. When there's a conversation, I can't tell who's speaking until they're named.
LibraryThing member Big_Bang_Gorilla
I have always been disappointed by the tepid critical reputation of this book, though I admit that I enjoy it disproportionately to its small but lovable virtues. It tells the story of the common man, in this case working his days away in an unremarkable place, and that is what I enjoy most about
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it. The author describes the quotidian moments within a day with such care and insight that it all becomes very beautiful and touching to me. I could do without the book's ethical message being so emphatic, though it's difficult to disagree with it. As usual with Steinbeck, it would be interesting to being him back and see whether he thinks we're doing any better. Show Less
LibraryThing member santhony
This was John Steinbeck’s last novel and the one that won him a Nobel Prize for Literature. Most people acknowledge that this was not his best work (in my mind not up to the standards of East of Eden or Of Mice and Men), but as with the Academy Awards, sometimes an Oscar for lifetime achievement
The story is set in an old whaling village on the tip of Long Island (think Sag Harbor), where we find Ethan Allen Hawley, descended from an illustrious local family and recently suffering from financial reverses so severe that he has taken the menial job of grocery clerk. Day after day, Hawley is bombarded by reminders of his families prosperous past and the relative poverty in which he finds himself, most annoyingly by his wife, son and daughter.
Throughout the novel, Hawley plays the naïve, unambitious simpleton, while at the same time engineering his return to prosperity and riches through a series of cold blooded, calculating and ruthless maneuvers. Relatively entertaining and worthwhile, it nevertheless fails to measure up to some of Steinbeck’s better work.
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is merited.The story is set in an old whaling village on the tip of Long Island (think Sag Harbor), where we find Ethan Allen Hawley, descended from an illustrious local family and recently suffering from financial reverses so severe that he has taken the menial job of grocery clerk. Day after day, Hawley is bombarded by reminders of his families prosperous past and the relative poverty in which he finds himself, most annoyingly by his wife, son and daughter.
Throughout the novel, Hawley plays the naïve, unambitious simpleton, while at the same time engineering his return to prosperity and riches through a series of cold blooded, calculating and ruthless maneuvers. Relatively entertaining and worthwhile, it nevertheless fails to measure up to some of Steinbeck’s better work.
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Call number
FIC A4 Ste