First Published by Viking Press USA 1952

ISBN-13978-0-14-118507-1

Classic American Literature

This grand tale unfolds across the Salinas Valley of California and through the turn of an age. The reader comes to know many characters; some plain, some with soaring minds and one or two whose bitter path twists its way into despair. The point of view shifts throughout the narrative as Steinbeck weaves lives together magically and over many years, leaving the reader with an expansive appreciation for existence.

The style is elegant and descriptive, allowing the mind to fill the spaces between words with flowing images of a bygone era; full of land, dirt, toil and the humble order of rural living. Indeed the book covers a lot of ground; the pastoral rhythm cycles through the story and Steinbeck’s characters respond diversely to the soil in which they’re sown. Steinbeck looks deeply at the human struggle and examines the good life, exploring themes of free will, futility and faith.

Although he does this beautifully; exploring eastern and biblical answers, Steinbeck seems to leave it all to human effort. In doing this he misses the chief answer (Jesus!) to his central and biblical question, ‘can a person be free from sin?’ (see chapter 24): “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7, NIV). This seems to be the main point of tension throughout the novel, one which Steinbeck resolves with a moving compromise midway between total failure and despair – “thou must” (rule over him) – and yet clearly cannot (failure), OR “thou shalt” and yet, when? (despair). The midway solution discovered by one of EOE’s main characters, Lee, was “Thou mayest”, from the original Hebrew word Timshel – i.e. the way through is open, one has a choice and therefore there is some hope for the characters and families; whose lives are apparently lost in weakness and regret. Of course to the Christian this is an insufficient answer, one which honest self-reflection consistently disproves. The apostle Paul captured the same struggle with a far more scathing view of self and humanity…

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7: 15-25)

Perhaps J.S. was being elusive and chose not to refer to the gospel answer to his dilemma or perhaps he himself felt only the weight of it and never the solution.

This is a moving book, which will leave you with an ‘existential feeling’. Steinbeck explored many examples of the attempt to resolve his central struggle, but missed the supernatural solution. Maybe this is its own answer, that without divine assistance, we are not able to ‘pull ourselves up by our boot straps’. Maybe J.S. knew that the best way to show this was through the lives of his characters.

John Steinbeck is one of my favourite authors and widely known as a master and key figure in American Literature. If you’re interested in the human drama and insights into personality, this book is for you. There’s something so instructive about reading such a realistic portrayal of these characters’ diverse lives – lived out to their respective ends.

I highly recommend this book and the author – if you haven’t already struck the gold that is Steinbeck.

A post-script: Here is an interesting talk by Dr. Timothy Keller, which explores these themes and gives a non-elusive answer.