The Rise of Materialism Exposed in Winter of Our Discontent :: Winter Our Discontent

The Rise of Materialism Exposed in winter of Our Discontent   John Steinbeck showed qui vive and disapproval to the rise of materialism and the post-World War 2, capitalistic morals found in America during the 1960s. These views were expressed through various characters in his novel The Winter of Our Discontent . This book dealt with the downward spiral of a good bit, Ethan Allen Hawley. Pressured on all sides by influences once considered immoral, but now accepted in the 1960s, Ethan, a grocery store clerk from a family of sea captains and wealthy businessmen, ...traded a habit of conduct and attitude for comfort and dignity and a cushion of security measure (257).Ethans son Allen embodies the ideals of the up and coming generation in the 1960s. Growing up in the age of the supermarkets, game show scandals, and fixed traffic tickets, Allens view of Something for nothing. wealth without effort (91) represented the exact opposite that of his father. Ethan, a man perhaps too co ncerned with the past, was a character Steinbeck used to speak his voice. Ethan was a man accustomed to honesty, good business, and respect.Allen lived in a world much different than that of Ethan. Allen was raised thinking that being dishonest, immoral, and underhanded was accepted. Everybody does it. Its the way the cooky crumbles. (353), Allen said when confronted by his father about plagiarizing famous speeches for the I Love America Contest. The only real opposition came when a person got caught. It almost seemed as if familiarity allowed these illegal actions as long as the person(s) evaded punishment. The only reason Allen seemed upset was because he got caught, not because what he had done was wrong. Steinbeck seemed to show that he felt family write up to be very important. Ethan showed great persistence in asking Mr. baker about the sinking of the Belle-Adair , which Ethans predecessors felt to have been purposefully burned by the Baker family for the insurance money. E thans primary motivation to make a few immoral decisions came from internal pressure he felt to live up to the name of Hawley. He seemed very self-conscience and maybe even ashamed of the fact that he was a lowly grocery clerk, in a foreign owned store, which his family had once owned. Ethan began to abhor Mr. Baker when he discovered that the Baker family had used the Hawleys trust in them to gain more land in New Baytown by giving injurious investment tips.