A Race for Rats in The Winter of Our Discontent Essay -- Winter of Our

A Race for Rats in The Winter of Our Discontent  nigh runners look only to the finish line, choosing to ignore what they step on or who they pass along the way. In The Winter of Our Discontent, Steinbeck portrays the dawning of a self-serving American society concerned solely with winning personal races. send in a small New England town during the early sixties, the bosh focuses on the life of Ethan Allen Hawley, an intelligent man with prestigious family hi study who is engaged as a grocer to the dismay of appendages of his family and the community. At the beginning of the novel, Ethan had not thus far adopted the new religion of America, to look after number nonpareil (26,291) in order to gain m whizzy and social standing. However, as the story transpires, Ethan, like other characters, chooses to succumb to temptation and to put himself above others as all costs, as though focusing on a hopeful red, white and blue finish. Ethans downfall represents Americas differe nce of family, social, and example values as individual success conk outs all-important. The Hawleys conflicts typify the severance down of the American family as selfish desires distance to each one member from the family unit. Ethan and his wife, bloody shame, pursue different goals in life and lack communication. Unlike Ethan, Mary dreamed of good fortune (46). Ashamed of her husbands job, she tells Ethan A grand gentlemen without money is a bum (43) in one of the some arguments the couple have. Often, Ethan and Mary avoid confrontation by acting woozy because they accept the sepabetrayerion in their marriage. Ethan admits, so many things I wear downt know about my Mary, and among them, how much she knows about me. (56) Because theyd quite chase their own goals instead of meeting in the middle, ... ...eal to rob a bank where his friend, Morph is employed (284). His greed inspires him to plot several money-making schemes, unbeatable until he has more than enough money, a nd his lust pushes him to Margies house one evening (341). Ethan becomes possessed (99) with the new values of American and drops his morals on the sideline. After his possession, Ethan commits selfish act after selfish act until the skinny of the novel when he chooses not to kill himself in order to relieve his daughter (358). Ethan knows hes been running in a rats race. Americas new obsession with taking charge of number one at any cost sacrifices family, social and moral values that are priceless. Selfishness makes for a lonely America in which each person is so blinded by his own goals that he cannot become close to anyone else. Those who choose not to run that race win their souls.