Beyond Boundaries: Rereading John Steinbeck

375 Pages·2002·2.107 MB·English

by  Susan Shillinglaw, Kevin Hearle (eds.)

Beyond Boundaries

Beyond Boundaries
Rereading John Steinbeck
Edited by
SUSAN SHILLINGLAW and KEVIN HEARLE
The University of Alabama Press
Tuscaloosa and London
Copyright © 2002
The University of Alabama Press
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487-0380
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Typeface is Palatino
∞
The paper on which this book is printed meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for Information Science–Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1984.
Excerpts from the following works are used by permission of Viking
Penguin, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.:
From The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, copyright © 1939, renewed
© 1967 by John Steinbeck. From Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, edited by Elaine
A. Steinbeck and Robert Wallsten, copyright © 1952 by John Steinbeck,
© 1969 by The Estate of John Steinbeck, © 1975 by Elaine A. Steinbeck and
Robert Wallsten. From The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck, copy-
right © 1941 by John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts, renewed © 1969 by
John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts Jr. From Cannery Row by John Stein-
beck, copyright © 1945 by John Steinbeck, renewed © 1973 by Elaine Stein-
beck, John Steinbeck IV, and Thom Steinbeck. From Burning Bright by John
Steinbeck, copyright © 1950 by John Steinbeck, renewed © 1978 by Elaine
Steinbeck, John Steinbeck IV, and Thom Steinbeck. From East of Eden by
John Steinbeck, copyright © 1952 by John Steinbeck, renewed © 1980 by
Elaine Steinbeck, John Steinbeck IV, and Thom Steinbeck. From The Short
Reign of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck, copyright © 1957 by John Steinbeck, re-
newed © 1985 by Elaine Steinbeck, John Steinbeck IV, and Thom Steinbeck.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beyond boundaries : rereading John Steinbeck / edited by
Susan Shillinglaw and Kevin Hearle.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8173-1151-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Steinbeck, John, 1902–1968—Criticism and interpretation. I. Shill-
inglaw, Susan. II. Hearle, Kevin, 1958–
PS3537.T3234 Z619 2002
813′.52—dc21
2002000360
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data available
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Introduction: Rereading John Steinbeck
Susan Shillinglaw and Kevin Hearle 1
I. Beyond Boundaries
1. Come Back to the Boxcar, Leslie Honey: Or, Don’t Cry
For Me, Madonna, Just Pass the Milk: Steinbeck and
Sentimentality
John Seelye 11
2. The Ghost of Tom Joad: Steinbeck’s Legacy in the Songs of
Bruce Springsteen
Gavin Cologne-Brookes 34
3. Changing Perceptions of Homelessness: John Steinbeck,
Carey McWilliams, and California during the 1930s
Christina Sheehan Gold 47
4. Steinbeck’s “Self-characters” as 1930s Underdogs
Warren G. French 66
5. Propaganda and Persuasion in John Steinbeck’s The Moon
Is Down
Rodney P. Rice 77
6. Steinbeck’s In®uence upon Native American Writers
Paul and Charlotte Hadella 87
II. Steinbeck as World Citizen
7. Cannery Row and the Japanese Mentality
Hiroshi Kaname 101
vi Contents
8. “Consonant Symphonies”: John Steinbeck in the
Indus Valley
P. Balaswamy 107
9. Living In(tension)ally: Steinbeck’s The Log from the Sea of
Cortez as a Re®ection of the Balance Advocated in Lao Tze’s
Tao Teh Ching
Michael J. Meyer 117
10. Recent Steinbeck Dramatic Adaptations in Japan
Hiromasa Takamura 130
11. Staging Tortilla Flat: Steinbeck in a Thai Context
Malithat Promathatavedi 140
12. Novella into Play: Burning Bright
Kiyoshi Nakayama 151
13. Beyond France: Steinbeck’s The Short Reign of Pippin IV
Christine Rucklin 162
14. “The Capacity for Peace—The Culmination of All the
Others”: The Internationalism of John Steinbeck and
Narrational Technique
John Ditsky 171
III. Rereading Steinbeck’s Women
15. Beyond the Boundaries of Sexism: The Archetypal
Feminine versus Anima Women in Steinbeck’s Novels
Lorelei Cederstrom 189
16. Of Mice and Men: Creating and Re-creating Curley’s Wife
Mimi Reisel Gladstein 205
17. Beyond Evil: Cathy and Cal in East of Eden
Carol L. Hansen 221
18. Cathy in East of Eden: Indispensable to the Thematic Design
Kyoko Ariki 230
IV. Steinbeck’s Science and Ethics
19. These Are American People: The Spectre of Eugenics in
Their Blood Is Strong and The Grapes of Wrath
Kevin Hearle 243
Contents vii
20. The Global Appeal of Steinbeck’s Science: The Animal-
Human Connections
James C. Kelley 255
21. The Philosophical Mind of John Steinbeck: Virtue Ethics
and His Later Fiction
Stephen K. George 266
22. Dreams of an Elegant Universe on Cannery Row
Brian Railsback 277
23. The Place We Have Arrived: On Writing/Reading toward
Cannery Row
Robert DeMott 295
Notes 315
Bibliography 327
Contributors 345
Index 353

Acknowledgments
In March 1997, the Fourth International Steinbeck Conference,
“Beyond Boundaries: Steinbeck and the World,” was held at San
Jose State University and in Monterey, California. The title of the
symposium was taken literally: it was sponsored by both the
John Steinbeck Society of Japan and the Center for Steinbeck
Studies at San Jose State University. It was held in two appropri-
ate locations—San Jose, near Los Gatos, where Steinbeck com-
pleted Of Mice and Men and composed The Grapes of Wrath; and
Monterey, where, of course, Steinbeck spent his apprentice years
from 1930–1936. This crossing of boundaries—be they interna-
tional, logistical or theoretical—was and is the central concern
of the conference and of this text.
Many people and institutions helped smooth the crossing of
boundaries. Thanks to President Kiyoshi Nakayama and mem-
bers of the Steinbeck Society of Japan who donated operating
funds. Dean John Crane of San Jose State University generously
gave funding for a keynote speaker. SJSU’s School of Engineer-
ing, with the blessing of Robert Trammell, provided space, tac-
tical assistance, and cleaning. Both the Fairmont Hotel and the
Monterey Plaza Hotel generously lowered rates. And Julie Pack-
ard approved a modest conference rental of the new wing of the
Monterey Bay Aquarium, where the magical ¤nal banquet was
held. Appropriately, participants dined in front of one of the
largest tanks in the world—the glass built and installed by Japa-
nese technicians and engineers.
The Steinbeck Center’s archivist, Jennifer Smith, offered un-
®agging service. She was helped by Barbara Tom and Bettina
Hotelling, both of whom volunteered countless hours. Craig
Kochersberger designed the publicity ®yers as well as the pro-
gram. Steve Webster, Senior Marine Biologist at the Monterey
Bay Aquarium, helped organize events in Monterey—an invalu-