The Winter Of Our Discontent

“A day, a livelong day, is not one thing but many. It changes not only in growing light toward zenith and decline again, but in texture and mood, in tone and meaning, warped by a thousand factors of season of heat or cold, of still or multi winds, torqued by odors, tastes, and the fabrics of ice or grass, of bud or leaf or black-drawn naked limbs. And as a day changes so do its subjects, bugs and birds, cats, dogs, butterflies and people.”

An important trend in this novel is “change.” People change, situations change, and in this quote, Steinbeck articulates how the texture of a day can change. The important aspect of this quote is the highlighting of the effect of change: One change begets another, which begets another. The domino effect of change is important to the development of character and plot in this novel.

“’Now that’s what I don’t understand, Ethan. Anybody can go broke. What I don’t see is why you stay broke, a man of your family and background and education. It doesn’t have to be permanent unless your blood has lost its guts. What knocked you out, Ethan? What kept you knocked out?”

The question on everyone’s mind is how Ethan could have fallen from his former status and family wealth. His neighbors find Ethan degraded by his lack of ambition to reclaim that past. While Ethan’s current status doesn’t bother him, the constant questioning of his apathy makes him more self-reflective. This quote reveals the societal expectation that a man should care about his financial status and should try to rectify a broken family legacy.

“It is odd how a man believes he can think better in a special place. I have such a place, have always had it, but I know it isn’t thinking I do there, but feeling and experiencing and remembering. It’s a safety place—everyone must have one, although I never heard a man tell of it. Secret, quiet movement often awakens a sleeper when a deliberate normal action does not. […]. I caused myself to need the bathroom, and when it was so, got up and went. And afterward I went quietly downstairs, carrying my clothes, and dressed in the kitchen.”

Throughout Part 1, Steinbeck emphasizes Ethan’s need for solitude. This quote highlights Ethan’s constant navigation of other people; between his job and his family life, he is always chatting and dealing with others. To balance this, Ethan needs time to nurture his introversion. Here, Steinbeck identifies a place of solitude to which Ethan can escape, where he can think deeply about his life away from the input of others.