J. Steinbeck (1902-1968)

“The winter of our discontent”

Discussion guide.
• Give a short outline of J.Steinbeck’s biography.
• What period in the life of American society is depicted in the novel? What are the peculiarities of this time?

First reading.
Composition and plot.
“The winter of our discontent” was published in 1961, it was Steinbeck’s last novel which differs greatly in terms of composition and manner of narration from his other literary works.
• When did the events described in the first part of the novel take place?
• In the second part of the novel the author described only few days from the life of Ethan Hawley. What are they? What is the time gap between the first and the second part? Why is this time gap so important for understanding the main character?
• During what important American holidays did the events of the novel take place? Why?
• Abstracted from the other elements of the novel, the plot of the novel is rather simple in content. Knowing the plot, try to discern:
the exposition;
the complication;
the climax;
the resolution.
• How does the novel end?
• What makes it an exciting action story?

Second reading.
Narration.
• What type (types) of narration is (are) used in the novel?
• What are special devices used in the narration?
• How do they contribute to revealing the theme?
• Comment upon the chronological set of events and peculiarities of the plot.
• Only the first two chapters of the two parts of the novel are given through the eyes of the author, in the other chapters the narration is given through the eyes of Ethan Hawley. Why? Comment upon it.
• What important events are given in “the author’s” chapter?
• Why does the author want to be objective describing them?
• Who is the narrator in the novel? Is it possible to describe his appearance?
• What can you say about Hawley’s social background? Why do this fact and the story of his family play such an important role in the novel?
• How old is Ethan? What about his own family?
• How does the author usually show us Ethan’s emotional state? What techniques does he use? Inner speech? Inner thoughts?
• To what extend does Ethan’s manner of speaking reveal his inner world?
• How can you characterize his speech portrayal? (literary allusions; quotations from the Bible; highly colloquial expressions, slang etc.) Adduce your examples.
• Can we feel that the narrator of the novel is superior to others? To whom? Give your examples.
• Does the narrator change throughout the novel? How? Compare some events from the first and the second parts of the novel.
• Is it difficult/easy to sympathize with Hawley’s attitudes? Why? Is his account reliable? Prove your point of view.
• Does the narrator have a privileged insight into the minds of other character? Give your examples.

The characters in the novel.
• In what way are the characters presented by the author? By telling or by showing? Or by both? Prove your point adducing the examples.

Ethan Allen Hawley.
• What means of characterisation are most important for creating the hero - his portrait, his speech, his actions?
• What do you find out about Ethan at the beginning? (Ch.3 p.43)
• How does the author reflect the hero’s emotional state?
• What role do inner speech, inner monologues, commentaries of Ethan play in the novel? Give your examples.
Close analysis: Ch.5 p.73 (about possession); Ch.6 p.86 (about the war); Ch.7 p.96 (about the Bakers).
• Does Ethan foreshadow in his “passionate” speeches referring to goods the direction of the plot? (Ch.4 p.55 - about money). Find some other examples.
• What are the main topics of his contemplations?
Ch.8 p.113 - about Margie;
Ch.9 p.138 - about career;
Ch.13 p.165 - “What are morals?”;
Ch.14 p.188 - “the eyes are not the mirror of the soul”;
Ch.4 p.52-53 - his relations with Mary.
• What is the main point of his conversation with his children? Prove your view (p.69, 93).
• What traits of the character are emphasized in the first and in the second part of the novel? Are there any differences? What are they? Prove your point.
• What differences are apparent in Ethan as he appears in the first scenes and in the concluding section? (Hawley’s dialogue with Mr.Backer (Ch.19, p.221)).
• What are his relationships with Mary, with his friend Danny Taylor (Ch.3 p.42), with Mr. Marullo?
• Speech portrayal of E.Hawley. Why does he speak differently in different situations? Cite the examples.
• What is his “real” speech portrayal? Does it reflect his “real identity”?
• What are the motives of his deeds and actions?
• To what extend is your understanding of Ethan Hawley dependent upon the narrative point of view the author has chosen?
• What would have been lost had the objective point of view been used?

Margie Young.
• When does the reader find out details of her life and occupation? Why does not the author want us to know it at once? (Ch.12 p.153-154)?
• Why is the description of her appearance given through the eyes of the author (Ch.1 p.22) and Ethan (Ch.4 p.58)? Compare these two passages and explain the differences.
• Discuss the circumstances that caused the mutual attraction between Ethan and Margie?
• How does Ethan account for it? (Ch.9 p.138)
• What does she think about Ethan (her inner speech)? (Ch.12 p.154)
• Margie and Mary: friends or rivals?
• Does she really have abilities to foresee the events? Why? Why not?
• Her manner of speaking.

Mary Hawley.
• Her appearance (Ch.3 p.47; Ch.9 p.135; Ch.10 p.139);
• Her speech portrayal;
• What do you know about her origin? (p.42 Ch.3)
• What is Ethan’s attitude to her family and relatives? (Ch.3 “She is a waiter - I can see that now”.)
• Can we “enter” into Mary’s mind? Can you find any examples of her inner speech? How does this fact characterize her?
• Mary and Ethan (Ch.5 p.74: “I just don’t understand him”; Ch.3 p.41 - their love story; Ch.3 p.50 “Mary, do you hear? Who are you in there?”).
• Ethan about Mary (Ch.5 p.74; Ch.6 p.83; Ch.9, p.132, 135).
• What does money mean to Mary? (Ch.3, p.47).
• How is his humorously ironic attitude to Mary revealed in the novel? Give your examples. Danny Tailor.
• When did he first appear in the novel? Why is significant? (Ch.3 p.49).
• His life story through the eyes of Ethan (Ch.3 p.43; Ch.3 p.85).
• What is the role of this minor character in the novel? Why was he introduced by the author? (their dialogue - Ch.3 p.50).

Mr. Marullo.
• His appearance (Ch.1 p.22);
• His speech portrayal (Ch.1; Ch.4 p.61);
• Ethan’s attitude to Mr.Marullo and immigrants in general;
• The importance of the setting in the novel. The theme of the novel.
• What significance does New Baytown acquire throughout the novel?
• Close analysis: Ch.3 p.39; Ch.11 p.143. Contrast these two descriptions from the point of view of Ethan.
• What does “the Place” mean to Hawley? How did he explain it?
• How is “the Place” described in the last chapter? Why is the last chapter devoted to it?
• Does it acquire any symbolic meaning in the novel? Compare “the great light” in “The Great Gatsby” and “a light” in this novel. Is it possible to draw any parallels? What are they?
• Does the description of “the Place” help you understand the theme of the novel? What is the connection?
• Can we call the final scene catastrophic?
• How would you state the theme of the novel?
• What are the key words in the novel?
• How would you account for the title of the novel? (it’s a quotation from “Richard III”: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York”).
• What meaning does the word “discontent” get in the context of the novel? How do you understand it?

Style of the novel.
- Comment on the style in which the novel is written. Explain how the style relates to the form of the novel, the tone; the nature of the characters.
- Close analysis: Ch.6 p.81; analyse the opening paragraph of the chapter (faceless, sleepless, waveless). Give examples of your own.