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John SteinbeckA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Steinbeck proposes that the individual is more important than the collective. The narrator states this explicitly in criticizing the industrial boom of the 19th century for creating a norm of valuing mass production. Creativity, says the narrator, can come only from the individual mind—and creativity is essential.
The novel’s character arcs demonstrate the importance of the individual over the collective. Cal must learn how to reckon with himself first, forgoing his expectations of love from his father or brother. Lee remains steadfast in his convictions and preaches that loneliness is precious. Charles and Cathy are extreme examples in that they function well on their own. Cathy wants total freedom, which requires that she remain solitary. Although she isn’t the ideal moral example, she has figured out the power of relying on oneself. Even Adam and Aron embody this in their own way: They’re selfish because they believe their worldviews and interpretations are the most important, and they think of the world around them only in terms of their convictions—whether those ideals are shallow or deep doesn’t matter. Many of the novel’s characters find themselves ruthlessly and painfully navigating human relationships. Although Steinbeck doesn’t want people to stop connecting with each other, the characters’ inner conflicts demonstrate that to first acknowledge your own responsibility and worth is paramount in achieving happiness, success, or peace of mind.
By John Steinbeck
Cannery Row
Cannery Row
John Steinbeck
Flight
Flight
John Steinbeck
In Dubious Battle
In Dubious Battle
John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Sweet Thursday
Sweet Thursday
John Steinbeck
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
John Steinbeck
The Chrysanthemums
The Chrysanthemums
John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Harvest Gypsies
The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Log From The Sea of Cortez
The Log From The Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
The Long Valley
The Long Valley
John Steinbeck
The Moon Is Down
The Moon Is Down
John Steinbeck
The Pearl
The Pearl
John Steinbeck
The Red Pony
The Red Pony
John Steinbeck
The Wayward Bus
The Wayward Bus
John Steinbeck
The Winter Of Our Discontent
The Winter Of Our Discontent
John Steinbeck
To a God Unknown
To a God Unknown
John Steinbeck
Tortilla Flat
Tortilla Flat
John Steinbeck
Travels With Charley
Travels With Charley
John Steinbeck
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