Say what you will about Steinbeck's later works'that they're pedantic, overwrought and occasionally misdirected'but be prepared to take them all back after reading \East of Eden,"" very possibly the most glorious and epic novel of the 20th century. In true modernist Miltonic style, Steinbeck retells the first half of the book of Genesis, weaving the narrative of Cain and Abel with commentary on America after World War I in the dark family drama of Adam Trask and his two dueling sons, Caleb and Aaron.
Within the 600-plus pages, Steinbeck is able to develop the rich California landscapes of the Salinas Valley even more evocatively than he had done with the Dust Bowl pastoral of ""The Grapes of Wrath"" 20 years before. The Trasks might not equal the Joads for pure pathos, but ultimately they prove to be more engaging as a study of good versus evil within the same family. ""East of Eden"" is a daunting book to begin, but a magnificent saga worth the effort.
""The Pearl"" is a reminder to me of what is truly valuable in life. In this short novel, Kino finds The Pearl of the World, which he is certain will pay for a doctor to save his young son from a deadly wound. Instead, he and his wife find out that wealth can be deceiving and does not always cure all the problems they hoped it would.This novel helps me realize that money and wealth are not magic. Some people are driven by their ability to earn as much money as they can, but the novel shows that oftentimes, those drives will not bring them the happiness they are looking for. This story shows that people should appreciate not only the wealth they have, but also their friends and family. They will bring the most happiness.
My favorite part of ""Travels with Charley"" is when Steinbeck visits Minnesota, hoping to see where F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis had lived. Without much trouble he finds their hometowns, but it is not so easy for him to find anyone who has ever heard of the great writers'such is the story of ""Travels with Charley."" This is a book in which Steinbeck drives from Maine to California and back, and is not once recognized by anyone as being John Steinbeck. Instead, he is merely received along the way as a friendly old man with a poodle named Charley. Steinbeck writes that he and Charley set out to rediscover America, and they may or may not have done just that. They crossed 10,000 miles of American roads, without coming across one George or Lenny or Tom Joad. What they did find, however, were the same great tragedies and small triumphs Steinbeck always knew were out there.
In the United States the Great Depression uprooted and rearranged the entire country. People from all walks of life and every region of the nation were brought together, forming an eclectic mix that would otherwise have scarcely been possible. One small portion of this menagerie is located in Monterey, Calif., the subject of Steinbeck's ""Cannery Row."" Many great writers choose a bourgeois cast of kings, queens, officers and gentlemen to express their insights concerning human nature. Steinbeck defies this norm by telling the tale of bums, whores, grocery store owners, down-and-out artists and an occasional marine biologist to convey to his readers human truths that can only be told by people who are both human and true. The result is a real, human work that describes companionship, generosity and goodwill in a humorous, easy-to-read novel that not only entertains but also enlightens.
