“L’Inverno del Nostro Scontento”, pubblicato nel 1961 dal Premio Nobel per la Letteratura John Steinbeck [1902-1968], è un romanzo pessimista e amaro come la realtà di tutti i giorni: protagonista Ethan Hawley, sposato con l’amata Mary, ha due figli giovanissimi e lavora in un negozio di alimentari come semplice commesso; eppure è il discendente di una famiglia di facoltosi uomini di mare del posto andati in rovina, è stato un efficiente e coraggioso ufficiale durante la II Guerra Mondiale, è intelligente e perspicace ma la fortuna sembra avergli girato le spalle.
Ad un tratto però la ruota della fortuna sembra girare e ottime possibilità appaiono all’orizzonte della sua vita facendogli intravvedere un futuro più radioso, più fortunato, più consono alle sue abilità personali ed Ethan sembra saper piroettare tra le varie opportunità di cambiare vita, innalzarsi, ergersi davanti a chi finora l’ha visto come un perdente. Ma sarà davvero così?
Come ho detto inizialmente un romanzo tanto pessimista quanto bello e ben scritto: Steinbeck scava nell’animo umano, mette a nudo le paure, i sogni, le bassezze, l’amore, l’odio, ogni sentimento che alberga nel cuore e nell’anima dei suoi personaggi e ambienta tutto questo nella realtà quotidiana del sogno americano dell’America del secondo dopoguerra.

Rilettura: fino a che punto un uomo è disposto a rinnegare i principi in cui ritiene di aver sempre creduto per assecondare la mentalità imperante e perseguire l'ideale di ricchezza e successo che tutto e tutti, attorno a lui, seguitano a ribadirgli come unica maniera corretta di vivere la vita? Fino a che punto un uomo è disposto a fare i conti con il proprio passato e scegliere di rimanere se stesso? La risposta che Steinbeck sembra fornire in questo libro lascia un pizzico di amarezza, ma anche il sospetto che, in realtà, il protagonista, con le sue scelte, altro non abbia fatto se non scoprire davvero chi è sempre stato sin dall'inizio.

The Winter of Our Discontent is the grand finale of John Steinbeck's fictitious creations. Deriving the title from William Shakespeare's Richard III opening lines "Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York", the story is somewhat a psychological analysis into a man's moral dilemma of doing what is right and doing whatever it takes for him to become successful.

As Gloucester in Richard III, Ethan Allen Hawley in Steinbeck's novel hopes for better times, as he has reached the height of his discontent. Coming from once a wealthy and influential family, the reduced circumstances to which he has fallen, plodding through his life as a mere grocery clerk is quite displeasing to him. The Hawleys once carried their head high, and now, though he is still respected for his ancestry and lineage, he doesn't know how long the water will hold. He is sure it won't pass to the next generation, unless he, Ethan Hawley, does something about it. He no longer can avoid the growing restlessness in his family, living in reduced conditions. But what can he possibly do? If he treads on a high moral path, nothing. But avenues may open to him if he wouldn't mind deviating lawfully from such high grounds. What ground should he tread on? Success or righteous? Here is then the dilemma for Ethan. And Steinbeck takes us through his quandary with his powerful prose.

This final novel by Steinbeck is quite different from his early works, both in style and theme. The Steinbeck who wrote this wasn't the same Steinbeck who was influenced by his native Salinas Valley. Here he has moved from his comfort zone and adjusted himself to a geographical and cultural change. He had also to adjust to the changing times, the need to address the prevailing issues in American society. There is a mature growth in his writing here. It is rich, deep and, demanding. Steinbeck plays well with his pen. He paints a vivid picture of his story which strongly connects the readers to the characters and settings. His deep but subtle penetration into the mind of the protagonist shows the inner struggle of a man who chooses success above morality. I've never felt Steinbeck to be a demanding writer. But he has presented the story in such a subtle manner that you need the focus of all your faculties to fully appreciate it.

I read that the reception of this novel was mixed and that there were some severe criticisms made against it which silenced Steinbeck's creative fiction. But from the perspective of a devoted fan, this is one of Steinbeck's best.

I'm really at a loss as what to say about this incredible novel except that it is American storytelling at its best.

Steinbeck’s The Winter of Our Discontent was first published in 1961 and was his last novel.

It was also the latest book published prior to his winning the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature. Interestingly, when asked if he felt that he deserved the award, this “giant of American letters” said: “Frankly, no.” Further, recent archives revealed that Steinbeck was a “compromise choice” for the award amidst a group described as “a bad lot”. Although the committee believed Steinbeck's best work was behind him by 1962, committee member Anders Österling believed the release of his novel The Winter of Our Discontent in 1961 showed that "after some signs of slowing down in recent years, [Steinbeck has] regained his position as a social truth-teller [and is an] authentic realist fully equal to his predecessors Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway." – Wikipedia.

I read several of his works in HS, many moons ago, and last year returned to his canon with his short, brilliant work The Moon Is Down. Steinbeck is to me, the quintessential twentieth century American writer. Hemingway and Faulkner were bridges to an older time, almost lost in mythic dreams of the past. Steinbeck is forward looking, one who chronicles our struggles, reveals our sins and comments upon the path we are on now.

It is in this last endeavor where The Winter of Our Discontent fits. Steinbeck tells the tale of Ethan Allen Hawley, a tragic and lost son of old New England wealth, his connections to the Pilgrim / Pirate heroes of his old family all but lost after the money is gone, but the old house and the family name remain. The reader finds Ethan working as a grocery clerk, in a town his family once all but owned, and working for an Italian immigrant.

In this setting, Steinbeck goes on to describe a modern American morality play. From the town manager, to the judges, to the banker, and all the way to the fortune telling divorcee the town is corrupt and self-serving, but retaining the outward mask and appearance of civility and propriety. Ethan’s dilemma, in the post World War II era, is one that still resonates today, but in amplified and exponential terms.

Now, I’ll go out on a limb and compare Steinbeck’s New Baytown to two unlikely later artists. I have noticed, especially in Philip K. Dick’s Confessions of a Crap Artist that his descriptions of later 50s northern California was Steinbeckesque. I’m not sure that Steinbeck ever heard of Philip K. Dick, much less ever read his work, but a fan of Steinbeck’s writing may be pleasantly surprised to visit PKD’s short list of non science fiction works.

Also, and this likeness is more obscure – Peter Benchley’s Jaws is the literary descendant of Steinbeck’s east coast morality play. True, Steinbeck does not illustrate the killing rampage of a prehistoric predator on a summer hamlet – or does he? Steinbeck’s monster is, like Benchley’s (and more obscurely Melville’s) really the elitist façade of correctness amidst a society being consumed from within.

You can read full review here.

n  “You know how advice is – you only want it if it agrees with what you wanted to do anyways.”n

This book is beautiful, and that is some great writing right there. Steinbeck is what I would like to call a true literary genius. I haven’t read his other books and this is the first one, but already I’m his admirer. I think this is a finely crafted book.

As I read this book, I came across many little but profound messages, throughout the book, and they were easy to decipher and relate with, and strong enough to stir thoughts into the reader’s mind. Steinbeck as it turns out is not only a literature writer but also a philosopher and you can easily identify that while reading the book. This novel came out in 1960s and before that he already got some of his best literary work published like “The Grapes of Wrath” and “East of Eden”, I haven’t read them but now after reading this book I’m surely gonna read them. But I’m gonna say that this story is wonderfully told and well structured, but for some unknown reason it is quite often overlooked and I think people should read it. One of my friend on Goodreads said that this book is quite different from his other books.

Now if we come to the story, the synopsis says, n  Ethan Allen Hawley, the protagonist of Steinbeck’s last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned. With Ethan no longer a member of Long Island’s aristocratic class, his wife is restless, and his teenage children are hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards.n

You might have got some idea what this is about. This book, The Winter of Our Discontent, is written based on the subject of morality, or more appropriately how morality plays its role in American society, it’s prevalence in 1960’s. It’s an exploration of morality in an individual, in a society. And I think, it still exist in today’s society.

I loved the character of Ethan and all the other characters were also easy to understand. From the beginning itself you can find Ethan as a content person, he did lost his family property(because of a bad business decision, not made by him) and didn’t get to enjoy all taste of money that he could. But in his heart he was always a content person, a happy person. Always did good and did everything to make his family secure(that is enough to ask). Throughout the book he also talked about many intelligent books and you can see that he is a smart person and can do a lot more and deserve more, and that he can be more than a grocery clerk.

But as it turns out when we live in a society many things go into our heads, we want all the luxury and money our neighbors are enjoying or society is enjoying, people can’t keep their heads high up for the simple reason, that they think they are not worthy enough because of the lack of wealth or a respected job.

His family’s discontentment became his discontentment. As a provider he wanted to provide them everything. Society and friends told him that he could be much more than he is. People told him, if he wants to be successful he have to break some rules to turn it all up for himself, and that sometimes we have to lose our morals to get what we want.

All this discontentment made him do something for himself and his family, day by day little events changed him, he came up with plans(that you would be reading) and you’ll see how everything he planned for fitted all together. The book have this gray shady setting and sometimes it unsettling.

And you can see all this in our society, that a job these days is not just a simple job, it's much more, there is a huge competition, people make other people fall just to go one step ahead and people want to make it big. And no one can disagree with it, it’s everywhere.

Okay, I really want you to read it because this is something worth reading. There are some really good underlying messages and I think you should read it because I can go on and on.

Update -- reread Jan 2020. I found the book to be even better on a second read. This time I really picked up on the details of life in the time and place, and I got into the thoughts of Ethan more.

Steinbeck has a BEAUTIFUL mind. He makes me think, and cry. He is masterful -- telling stories through rich and interesting characters. He illustrates the hard parts of life by showing us how we feel when those things happen. He makes the reader question their own responses to the things that happen around us. He shows us how we feel about prejudice (like in The Grapes of Wrath), poverty and homelessness (like in Of Mice and Men), and even family discord (like in East of Eden). He is a man that I wish I had known... I have a literary crush!

The Winter of Our Discontent is his last book. Thankfully though it is not my last book of his. I have at least 8 or 10 more to read. And, I know that I will revisit many of them many more times.

Treba čitati Stajnbeka, Stajbek je bog.

I do feel a little sorry for Steinbeck: this book was not appreciated by the majority of the reading public at publication, but took until after Watergate for it to sink in. I find this somewhat strange – the Anti-American Dream novel was not a new thing, not even for Steinbeck. I have read Cheever & Yates now to know that this kind of novel was there. Even Steinbeck had written books Like The Grapes Of Wrath and Of Mice & Men, so the territory wasn’t new. I suspect what threw the reading public is that it is rather different than those in that he deals with a time of hardship, and in the 1960s, now was a time of plenty. I was also reminded, strongly, of Tom Lehrer’s My Home Town (1953) which describes a place that is anything but congenial and apple-pie cute.
Our hero – Ethan Hawley – is a returned WW2 veteran from an old New England family. Immediately, following the period rhetoric espoused by marketing and advertising, Ethan should be riding the wave of ultra-success, but he isn’t. He was been made low by a series of decisions made by his father that has essentially bankrupted the family. Added to this conundrum he is an honourable and principled man – he is applying the old family rules, and of course achieving zero success. It has become apparent to him, 15 years after the end of the war that the values and morality he fought for have become eroded away, not by an evil external force, but from within his own society and culture. For anyone with a high moral and ethical balance, this comes as a shock; the kind of shock that rocks that pedestal and causes one to fall.

Ethan is alone, surrounded by fools, cheats and con men. He is living in the same place as described by Lehrer in My Home Town. Only Margie Young-Hunt is on the same level as him, and he doesn’t want the offers she is prepared to give him (become her sexual partner as mistress, and she shall be his equal companion). Ethan’s family have swallowed the PR hype of being rich and owning all the latest goods – they represent the society ideals and dreams of post war US; Ethan fights this by offering them the old pre-war values, of which they spurn. Ethan’s wife wants to be thought of an equal amongst the elite believing a bank balance is all she needs; Ethan’s son believes he will be a success by cheating his way - “everyone does it, pop” is his favourite line – it upsets Ethan’s hope for the boy to carry on the family name and ideals. Ellen is the true child of Ethan; she does desire all the trappings of the consumer society, but she does contain some integrity and ethics. One of the aspects of Ethan’s enlightenment is to recognise this late in the book.

Ethan is an intelligent and scholarly man – he is the learned gentleman that was represented by the likes of Henry James and Nathaniel Hawthorne. The journey of destruction, the “dog eat dog” ethos that will make the success for Ethan, at the cost of others is both bitter and rewarding to the reader. Even here, he applies his intelligence and wit to exact revenge, particularly on Baker which is delicious. Fate is cruel and obstructs at crucial moments, (is this the apothecial battle of Satan & God fighting over Ethan’s soul??) which makes the alternative plans less thrilling, but also much more devious. Although Ethan’s integrity comes out as the loser, he is still able to honour the people he truly loves, such as the emotionally ruined boyhood friend, Danny.

The ending represents a crossroads. Can Ethan live with his actions? The cost of success can be the destruction of integrity – which is worth more to a person? Ethan makes a decision, but so too does his daughter Ellen. Her final action reveals to the reader the similarities between father and daughter – that she represents the future of America and all that is honourable, not his son. The last page is intriguing for we are left in doubt – and has the Fates decided for Ethan after all? Thus the reader is left split – maybe an unsatisfactory ending, but one that resembles life much more honestly.

I wonder how much the contemporary reader would recognise the references – literally, popular culture, and historical. My edition had notes, and I was to learn much about the importance of the year the book is set: 1960 (oh, yes, there is a significance). Not getting the erudition of Steinbeck in this book takes away so much of the pleasure, witticisms, and double meanings that add such layers to the novel.

In 2020, this has been the standout novel for me.

Shakespeare , Kafka , Steinbeck .L’elenco potrebbe continuare e comprendere altri meravigliosi custodi , uomini indulgenti con il resto delle umane genti.
Ho scritto custodi , non scrittori , drammaturghi o poeti perché questi artisti della parola sono soprattutto i benevoli custodi del significato più profondo della legge che governa l’uomo e il suo agire.
Se il legame con il bardo è evidente , non solo nel titolo ma anche in una sottile linea rossa che congiunge Riccardo III e il protagonista di Steinbeck, ciò che avvicina lo scrittore americano a Kafka è frutto di una visione assolutamente personale , mediata attraverso uno sguardo che scivola inesorabilmente al di fuori della situazione particolare verso un mondo che ai miei occhi si presenta più ampio , generale , aperto quanto può esserlo una dimensione atemporale.
Se temete quindi che la patologia psichiatrica sia contagiosa , abbandonate questa recensione e dedicatevi immediatamente alla lettura de “L’inverno del nostro scontento”.
A guardia del portone che permette l’accesso alle legge e alla conoscenza , Kafka collocava ,in “Davanti alla Legge” (1914), un custode (non benevolo), che impedisce l’accesso proprio a colui a cui è riservato l’ingresso (e a lui solo, pover’uomo).
Egli si spegnerà nell’attesa, calerà nelle tenebre della morte , forse perché non ha compiutamente capito , non si è adeguatamente preparato a capire , a cercare la conoscenza e la legge morale (forse …trattandosi di Kafka).
Quell’uomo avrebbe avuto bisogno non di un guardiano ma di un benevolo custode che , come Steinbeck , lungi dall’esaurire il suo compito nel proteggere, si fosse prodigato nel tentativo di far comprendere , di illuminare le tenebre in cui è avvolta la conoscenza che l’uomo ha di se stesso e la consapevolezza del suo lato più intimo e oscuro.
Nello scrittore americano infatti , il fulcro , l’oggetto dell’indagine, è l’essere umano , di cui sonda le ombre e le profondità , gli oscuri recessi e le misconosciute grandiosità.
Così come in “Furore” ,anche in questo romanzo una fortissima tensione etica percorre l’intera narrazione ,sottolineando una critica sociale che ne “L’inverno del nostro scontento” assume però sfumature più intimistiche, venate di disincantata , amara ironia .
Il romanzo non ha quindi i contorni quasi biblici di un crudo affresco composito, ma tratteggia la sofferta discesa agli inferi morali di un uomo, la sua drammatica perdita di innocenza.
La narrazione scorre apparentemente piana , fluida come l’accattivante superficie del mare, priva delle maree sotterranee che lentamente erodono la riva e ingannano l’uomo perché “un uomo si batte contro le cose grosse. Ma quel che uccide è l’erosione; a furia di colpetti finisce al tappeto” .
Perché a questo punto può accadere di tutto , il protagonista , consapevolmente vinto,potrà (dovrà) perdersi e il lettore , ingannato nel suo caso dall’apparente misura narrativa , rischierà di confondere la leggerezza con la lievità.
Nulla in Steinbeck è lieve, scontato ; il respiro è potente , la scrittura ricca di significati e da una crepa sottile può erompere la marea.
E la prima crepa di cui sarà vittima il protagonista , Ethan Hawley “ non mi sento in colpa per i tedeschi che ho ucciso. ..e se per un tempo limitato io abolissi tutte le norme ..Una volta raggiunto l’obbiettivo , non potrei riassumerle tutte , quelle norme? Indubbiamente gli affari sono una specie di guerra. Perché dunque non fare guerra totale , in vista della pace ? “ lo porterà inevitabilmente ad essere interiormente travolto.
Fatale risulterà l’ulteriore sfaldamento del concetto di integrità , quando , rispetto alla precedente valutazione personale , prevarrà la proiezione verso l’esterno , l’esposizione al giudizio clemente della gente , per la quale “forza e successo stanno al di sopra della moralità , al di sopra della critica…L’ unico castigo è per chi fallisce”.
Basterà un’occasione dunque , ormai la strada è tracciata.
Quale miglior agnello sacrificale di Danny , l’ amico ai margini della società “Dentro di me Danny è un dolore vivo e , quindi una colpa. Io potrei aiutarlo. Danny è quasi un fratello. Il senso di colpa forse è perché io sono il guardiano di quel mio fratello , ma non l’ho salvato”.

In fondo Danny (forse l’eterna riproposizione del topos del “doppio”) non ha via di scampo perchè “I suoi occhi ti chiedono di perdonarlo perché egli non può perdonarsi” e quindi ha già emesso la sua condanna , proprio perché essa è interiore , personale.
Lui è già una colpa , una colpa per se stesso non può costituire un ostacolo; egli rappresenta ciò da cui Ethan vuole sfuggire , il fallimento , la forzata esclusione dal modello americano che appartiene ad entrambi per antico rango e quindi paga con la dissoluzione fisica .
Specularmente, Ethan, si troverà a dover pagare per la dissoluzione del suo universo interiore ….”E’ tanto più buio quando una luce si spegne, più buio che se non si fosse mai accesa.
Sale la marea …tra le tante luci solitarie è necessario combattere per tenere accesa la speranza …affinchè un’altra luce non si spenga nel buio e un guardiano non sia costretto a chiudere un portone

"It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone." (275)

John Ernst Steinbeck, hero of the working class, defender of injustice, voice of the people, pen wielding warrior of truth and right, American treasure, and one of my all-time favorite authors. Maybe you can tell, I have somewhat of a man crush on our friend John. Everything the man writes is pure gold. American literature at its best.

In this, Johns's final novel, we follow our protagonist, Ethan Hawley, a long-time resident of New Baytown and local grocery clerk. Miss fortune has struck down the once great Hawley family and now the ever-honest, or maybe not forever, Ethan is forced to work as a clerk in a store his family once owned, in the town they once all but ran. Pressured by a morally decaying society, our friend Ethan makes one bad decision after another, leading him down a path of despair that more often than not one can't come back from.

Once again John drops a payload of life lesson bombs on us with The Winter of Our Discontent. Society sucks and is morally bankrupt, people are easily corrupted, money isn't everything, (and this was in 1961, how much worse are we now) the list can go on and on with this one. Steinbeck truly is one of the greatest American authors, and he proves it time and time again with every one of his works.