summer essay

Gerardo Plascencia
31 July 2008
English Lit AP
Bosch
Tortilla Flat
John Steinbeck, the author of Tortilla Flat and many other great novels was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902. His father, John Steinbeck Sr., worked as the County Treasurer in Salinas and his mother, Olive Hamilton-Steinbeck; a former teacher guided John in his interest in the art of literature. He spent many of his school summers, “working as a hired hand for nearby ranches” to help support his family. (Ghare) John Steinbeck grew up in his town of birth where he graduated from Salinas High School, and made setting to many of the novels he wrote. After graduating high school in 1919, he soon attended Stanford University where he intermittently enrolled in literature and writing courses until he left in 1925 without a title, moving to New York City supporting himself as a laborer and journalist. He eventually moved west again and became a caretaker for a Lake Tahoe estate, and between his labor days, he worked on his first novel, Cup of Gold (1929). Soon, “After marriage and a move to Pacific Grove, he published two California fictions, The Pastures of Heaven (1932) and To a God Unknown (1933), and worked on short stories later collected in The Long Valley (1938).” but popular success and financial security did not come until his work of Tortilla Flat (1935) (Steinbeck). Steinbeck’s writing consists his life experiences, “what he saw in struggling workers and the human will to survive…” which he transferred to his stories and “John became a master at depicting characters that were trapped in an unfair world.” (All sands) that would advance his writing of Tortilla Flat. Due to having to work through struggling times, John understood the struggle of the majority of California during Dust Bowl years, and depicted the struggle of the common worker and his observations of California people. It may be said that he suffered alcoholism but it is more comprehendible that he enjoyed it.
This particular novel is about a Mexican-American boy named Danny who upon returning from World War 1 heirs two houses, from defunct influential grandfather, in Tortilla Flat, a town, above Monterey. Danny was accustomed to living free roaming life and having found his old pal Pilon voluntarily gave him his second house. Pilon, soon after, finds other old friends and tries to have them pay rent but they always end up getting drunk or spending money on alcohol through a typical trade purchase. Time passes and the friends, drunken and all catch the house on fire until it burns to the ground. Danny slightly angered but understanding, gladly accepts his friends into his residence. They, Danny and his home occupiers, find another paisano, the pirate, and offer him shelter along with his dogs. This group of men is like the Knights of the Round Table, that at times they do righteous thefts and lend a hand to locals. There was yet another untamed man they joined to fellowship, Joe Portagee, an uncaring animal that with the love of his friends stops terrorizing the town. After helping out the Pirate give a golden candle to a saint, with the money he collected from gathering lumber, and helping obtain food for a family, Danny felt the coming of age and felt loneliness in his heart so he began reliving his youth by going on a crime spree, sometimes stealing from everyone even his friends. When Danny’s playful behavior was over, they took it upon themselves to throw him a party. With plenty of wine accomplished by having worked, which none of the paisanos had done before; everyone in tortilla flat attended. This was the party, where Danny drank three gallons of wine and where he challenged the world for a fight and with nobody’s acceptance chose to charge outside where he fell in a deep gulch and suffered many injuries. Danny died, and his funeral was attended by military, but the friends in poor clothes did not attend to not disgrace their friend, and after deep thought and consumption of wine let the house catch on fire and die with one last blaze of glory just as Danny did. Each going in a different direction, the friends part.
A simple pleasure, finding the beauty in simple things, is a theme that is constant throughout the novel. Steinbeck’s characters each make high regards for things of value to them. Danny finds happiness in the simplicity of sharing whatever he has with his friends. He shares a home of his with his friend Pilon, which he recently saw upon returning from war. Pilon, reminds Danny not to forget about his friends and Danny replies, “Pilon, I swear, what I have is thine. While I have a house, thou hast a house.” (Steinbeck 11). Therefore, Pilon goes with Danny to receive his keys and takes the one to the smaller house. Danny thought about his friends because he did not want to do what most ambitious people do in forgetting about those who have been there, his beloved friends. Pilon takes advantage of his friend’s nobleness but takes only what he deserves. The friends, after living under one roof because they burnt the other house to the ground, did not worry if they needed materials as long as they had each other’s comradeship. “They sat about the stove with tears in their eyes, and their love for one another was almost unbearable.” narrated Steinbeck to show the paisanos gratification towards Danny whom put a roof over their heads. The friends forget about roaming the land freely because they care that they have companionship and faithful friends that are better than any lonesome roam. Danny does not set any house rules but that no one sleep in his bed, leaving it as simple as it can be to live with him. Steinbeck also sets another character with a simple source of life. There is the family of the Senora Teresina Cortez and “only one thing could threaten the lives and happiness of the family… that was a failure of the bean crop.” (Steinbeck 148). Their family relied on that vegetation that once they had no beans the children would have problems with digestion. Steinbeck gives them a strong reliable source that only disappoints when there is rain. The pleasures characters receive derive from friendship and in a particular case from much needed beans. The beans being a simple pleasure as well as friendship, is a source of happiness during a time of depression especially on individuals in America.
Another theme, spirituality, resembles through the good friends of Danny. The friends stick to spirituality by relating to the soul or spirit, usually in contrast to material things. All of the guys had the misery of being tempted to greed. On an ambitious effort to find Danny gold, Pilon and Joe go searching for a treasure, they hit something but it is not the treasure and their patience is lost. Pilon thought deeply about it and thought that giving Danny gold may not have been good since Danny is accustomed to being poor and the gold will make him crazy so he concludes that “Happiness is better than riches,…if we try to make Danny happy, it will be a better thing than to give him money” (Steinbeck 92). They obviously know that wine brings joy to Danny so they know to bring him wine that could be shared amongst all friends. Figuring out that money is not the source of happiness is contrary to the social standard. Steinbeck shows these paisanos to be comfortable and happy with what they have. Their spirituality is quite strong especially when helping out a friend. They promise to help the Pirate keep his money, instead of stealing it which was the initial plan. They ask the pirate to take his money but he responds, “no, I cannot do that. It is promised. I have nearly a thousand two-bitses. When I have a thousand I will buy a gold candlestick for San Francisco de Assisi” (Steinbeck 74) and after hearing what was planned for the money they put the bag under the pillow of Danny’s bed. The friends where about to steal money from a once unknown stranger but once hearing his plea they realized it would be terrible sin to steal money being used for a higher cause. They are convinced in collecting all necessary currency that they protect the money like a sacred item.
The diction in the novel, especially of that of the characters is ironically like that of knights from the middle ages, but the setting is an enforcing factor to the authors message of finding an idyll place through harsh periods of history like that for Danny having an uninviting homecoming. Thoughtfully, Steinbeck used Americas post World War 1 era. Purposely, characters spoke like Medieval men to emphasize that epoch of America in relation to that of Middle Ages. Medieval times consisted of plagues, barbarianism, and irrepressible control leading to a lack of fraternity. Post War World 1 left American men questioning their role since they were accustomed to war after a period of fighting. This Great War relates to Medieval battles where blood was shed for imperialistic reasons. By placing characters in a dire setting with optimistic mentality, Steinbeck creates a world in which the characters know of the surrounding horrors but joyfully continue life doing what makes them forget or what makes them happy. Danny and his friends being paisanos and lazy have nothing but feel they need nothing.
Tortilla Flat is amongst some of the best novels. Steinbeck gained initial recognition from this book by winning the California Commonwealth award. Messages about being content with what you have are ideal life messages. Writing about underappreciated veterans returning with nothing being offered to them shows how the United States had a tough period and could not overcome the problems; even those of the nation‘s heroes. Mexican-Americans strived for well living at the turn of the century and this author recognized that many had been living and remained in their villages. Steinbeck’s characters capture the qualities many held through a pessimistic environment and usually involve a sort of immigration. He is also known for writing on losing everything but finding a spiritual fulfillment. Steinbeck grew to create other California novels that are nationally recognized and awarded, like Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath that received the Pulitzer Prize. He, in 1962 received the Nobel Prize for Literature. His demise came on December 20, 1968.