“Everyone who knew about such things, the expert, agreed that only money gets money. The best way is always the simplest. The shocking simplicity of the thing was its greatest strength. But I really believe it was only a detailed daydream until Marullo through none of his fault walked in his own darkness over a cliff. Once it seemed almost certain that I could get the store for my own, only then did the high-flown dreaming come down to earth”(217).
Money is the root of all evil in Winter of Our Discontent. Ethan tries to get money through out the book but this only leads to him compromising his morals, and in the end he his plans all fail on him. Here he reflects on what he had done and how everything was going. He notes that at one point he thought he would be able to get the store. This dream was close to becoming real but in the end it backfired on him, and it collapsed. It’s a clear showing of his reflective ness and how he likes to think back on the past. The diction of a detailed daydream notes the dream like quality of everything that happened to him. Everything was so unreal, and it all happened so fast, that it’s hard to believe what actually happened.
The tone is thoughtful though in a sad and regretful way. He considers all that had gone wrong and wonders what could have been the cause of it all happening. He theorizes that it was “the shocking simplicity”(217) that was the problem and that his plan was too complex to work. He believes that if he could have made it simpler that he might have succeeded, but he tried for too much and ended up falling flat. This idea is adds to the regret and the sadness of the quote. At some point he thought he'd be able to succeed and was happy for it. He compromised his morals to obtain the success and now that it had failed, he was sad and he regretted trying. The poor man had no real comfort left from success.
Oprah with Steinbeck
Oprah: Hello everyone, how are you all doing night?
Audience: Good.
Oprah: Good. Today I’d like to talk about an amazing book that I just read written by the legendary author John Steinbeck. I decided to pick his last and somewhat critized book, The Winter of Our Discontent. I’ve also decided to interview him about the book. So please welcome John Steinbeck to the stage.
The audience cheers as John Steinbeck comes to sit in the chair opposite of Oprah.
Oprah: Hello, Mr. Steinbeck, it’s good to see you.
Steinbeck: Good to see you too.
Oprah: So Mr. Steinbeck, I read your book The Winter of Our Discontent and I must say that I’m impressed with it. It’s a good element of fiction. I enjoyed reading it.
Steinbeck: Well I enjoyed writing it.
Oprah: That’s good to hear. I’m curious though. What gave you the idea to write the story using the Third person view and the First person view?
Steinbeck: Well, I felt that it’d fit the story best if you got to see the whole picture but also a specific part of it told by the main character of the story himself.
Oprah: I see. It worked out fabulously in the story has it gives us a good idea of Ethan himself, and the characters around him. But how would describe the voice of the story?
Steinbeck: Well, I’d say that the narrator’s voice is very varied and can switch from many contrasting ideas from time to time. He can be silly, while at other times he can be sermonic or passionate. There is also times when there is reflect back to the past. There are myriad puns that surround the daily diction of the narrator which shows that he is silly.
Oprah: Interesting. Any examples of this?
Steinbeck: Why of course. One example is: It is strange 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. The narrator in this quote is showing his more reflective side, thinking about his special place and having a bit of passion for it. On the other hand, a quote like: All men are moral. Only their neighbors are not, is silly with the use of two contrasting ideas being juxtaposed together in a way that makes them cancel out each other.
Oprah: I see, very interesting. Well, that’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed this interview with Mr. Steinbeck.
The audience cheers and Steinbeck leaves.
