The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck Brian Railsback (bio) The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck Ed. Stephen K. George. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2005. 199 pp. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Steinbeck during his visit to Hungary in 1963 with wife Elaine and Edward Albee, as part of a Cultural Exchange Trip at the request of President Kennedy. [End Page 138] Many reviewers and critics of John Steinbeck's works are irritated by or at least uncomfortable with the author's desire to insert, in a sometimes heavy-handed way, moral meaning into his books. Steinbeck's natural impulse to instruct the reader on moral ideas became an increasingly overt element in his work as he grew older. His last novel, The Winter of Our Discontent, is a study of moral disintegration and possible redemption; the last book published in his lifetime, America and Americans, is an unabashed sermon to his fellow citizens. I count myself among those critics who see Steinbeck's moral didacticism as a weakness, mercifully suppressed in his greatest works. The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck is a collection of very interesting essays that bravely encounter Steinbeck's moral philosophizing head-on. Aside from criticism from reviewers and scholars for occasional moralizing, Steinbeck's work suffered at times in an entirely different way. As Allene M. Parker's essay, "Of Death, Life, and Virtue in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath," indicates, the disturbing but important ethical questions Steinbeck raises may account for much of the suppression or outright banning of his works. For some time we have needed a book that provides a careful reckoning of the moral philosophy associated with Steinbeck and his work. Now we have it. The Moral Philosophy of John Steinbeck has been thoughtfully structured by eitor Stephen K. George (he acknowledges help overall on the project from his editorial board, consisting of Richard Astro, Patrick K. Dooley, Richard E. Hart, and Luchen Li). The Foreword and Introduction neatly define the book's [End Page 139] operating definition of "moral philosophy." Part I consists of broad applications of the terminology, with five essays that take a sweeping look at Steinbeck's moral philosophy through several books. In Part II, the eight essays are more focused on moral implications in particular works or characters—The Winter of Our Discontent and Cathy/Kate of East of Eden rightfully figure prominently in this section. In his Foreword, Hart observes that in a time of "applied" philosophical ethics and explorations of literature and morality, we are overdue for a careful look at the author: "John Steinbeck has not been rigorously examined or fully appreciated as a contributor to moral philosophy." What the contributors to this volume collectively demonstrate, Hart asserts, is "that Steinbeck was not just a superb experimental stylist, social critic, and, in many ways, the conscience of America. He was, as well, a moral philosopher who probed deeper than nearly any other American writer the contours of individual and societal ethics." This statement may overstate the case a bit (many great American authors have examined individual and societal ethics), but it does set up the intention of the book well. The Introduction by George and Li adds weight to Hart's assertion by noting Steinbeck's readings in moral philosophy, his high moral purpose, and his ability to make readers thoughtfully live in his characters' ethical failures and successes. What is refreshing about the Introduction and the book that follows is the lack of any apology for Steinbeck's overt moral viewpoint—this volume clearly embraces it. Possibly one of the best definitions of Steinbeck's moral philosophy is offered in the first essay, "John Steinbeck's lower-case utopia: Basic Human Needs, a Duty to Share, and the Good Life" by Patrick K. Dooley. For both Aristotle and Steinbeck, Dooley writes, "genuine moral goodness, genuine human happiness, and genuine human development are three ways to describe the same thing: a well-lived and fulfilling human life in a good society." The possibility or frustration of this life depends on the benign or malignant wants created by individuals or a society. Dooley...