Winter of Our Discontent
John Steinbeck
2nd Tuesday Book Discusssion

John Steinbeck’s last novel is an examination of the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in a society increasingly obsessed with material success. The book’s protagonist, Ethan Hawley, is a man of integrity who finds himself living in a small town corroded by greed and dishonesty. Once a member of a wealthy family, Ethan now works as a grocery clerk, struggling with feelings of inadequacy and pressure from his family to reclaim their former status. Steinbeck uses Ethan’s internal conflict to explore the tension between personal ethics and societal expectations, setting the stage for a broader critique of the American Dream.