“Winter of our anxiety” Steinbeck in summary
“I would advise readers who are looking for real people and places under fictitious names and names to look around themselves and look into their own souls, since this novel tells what is happening today almost all over America.”
On a golden April morning, Ethan Allen Hawley wakes up in a beautiful family mansion in the town of New Baytown. He has a beloved wife and two beloved children. But there is no money. A descendant of the once richest family of the city, a graduate of Harvard, he works as a salesman in a grocery store near the Sicilian Alfio Marullo. The salary is barely enough for a living. The tiny inheritance of his wife, Itan Mary, is left for a rainy day. Ethan does not know how to get rich honestly. He can not change his position. The ruin has knocked him down and does not allow him to straighten up. Today is Good Good Friday. Ethan always tolerates this day. He does not think of the crucifixion, but of the unbearable loneliness of the Crucified, when
Day by day the course of life of a small town is unchanged. Ethan knows exactly who and when will pass by the shop, who will do what purchases. Every morning he goes to work with Joe Morphy, the cashier of the local branch of the First National Bank. The side door of the bank is opposite the entrance to the shop, and Ethan knows very well that in the daytime she does not lock herself. Today on the way Joy and Ethan talk about bank robberies. Joey has some reasons why criminals, as a rule, come across. Ethan listens attentively to these peculiar rules of robbery.
When Ethan sweeps the sidewalk near the bench, the bank’s director, Mr. Baker, walks past him, like every day at the same time. Baker hints to Ethan that there is some opportunity to profitably place Mary’s money that is in this bank. But Ethan is afraid to take risks, although he promises to think.
After Baker’s departure, the first customer appears in the shop – Mrs. Margie Yang-Hunt, the girlfriend of the wife of Ethan Mary. This is a lonely lady, who is her ex-husband.
In the afternoon the owner of the shop Marullo comes. He is always surprised by the honesty of Ethan, who can not be taught to work on the principle of “you can not deceive – you will not sell.” As soon as he leaves, a traveling salesman appears from BBD and D. His name is Biggers. He proposes to Ethan to order products in his firm, at a discount. This discount in the form of cash will settle in Iten’s pocket, not reaching Marullo. Ethan refuses – this is some kind of darkness! Leaving, Biggers leaves on the counter a leather wallet with the golden monogram of Hawley and a bribe embedded in it – a twenty-dollar piece of paper. Upon learning of this incident, Joy Morphy tries to persuade Itena to accept Biggers’ offer – because everyone does it.
On this day, Margie guesses Mary on the cards and predicts that Ethan will very soon be rich and become an important person in the city. Itena annoys these conversations. At the same time, as if by chance, family members constantly reproach Iten for being poor. To this he jokingly answers that he is going to rob the bank.
In the morning Ethan goes for a walk and comes to his favorite place in the harbor – a cave in the rock, a Vault, as he calls this place. He likes to come here when it’s time to calm down and reflect. Here Margie poured him wealth and for some reason demands that he not abandon his fate. Of course, the cards can not tell the person to act, but, perhaps, they incline him to action. Itself does not need money, he thinks, but they need his family.
Returning home, Ethan meets his childhood friend Danny Taylor. Danny is also from a wealthy, but now ruined family. Now Danny is a poor drunk. He does not even have a home, he lives in some shack. The only thing left is the old Taylor estate with a meadow that Danny does not want to sell. While he is the owner of this estate, he feels himself to be a man. He does not listen to Ethan’s advice. He only asks him for a dollar for a drink.
The next day, Ethan returns Biggers twenty dollars. Biggers thinks that Ethan wants to increase the discount percentage. Later, Ethan tells Marullo about Biggers’ offer and about the bribe. Marullo is struck by the honesty of Iten. Ethan agrees that honesty is his racket, On this day, Margie dines at Hawley and again wonders on the cards. She is well versed in human psychology, and her maps tell people what they expect. To Ethan, they prophesy of wealth.
Ethan begins to feel that somewhere deep inside him is a change.
On Sunday after the church, Ethan and Mary go on a visit to the Bakers. Baker tells Iten that there is a project to build an airport in the city. But the only suitable place in the vicinity of the city is the meadow belonging to Danny Taylor. It is in the construction of the airport that Baker invites Iten to invest money in Mary. Iten realizes that a group of visionary citizens, and Baker among them, will support the current city authorities, until they take control of all the arrangements for the improvement of New Baytown. The town is in hibernation. For a long time, the mayor, the municipality, judges, policemen are permanent. They no longer notice minor violations of the letter of the law and do not see anything immoral in this. Elections to the municipality are scheduled for the seventh of July. It’s then that the thunder will come. New people will come to power,
In the evening, Ethan goes to Danny Taylor and offers him money without any guarantees. With this money, Danny should be treated for alcoholism. Treatment costs a thousand dollars. Danny understands this delicate calculation. It is unlikely that he will be treated. Most likely, this amount of whiskey – for a thousand dollars – will kill him, the Taylor estate will go to secure a loan, and Ethan will fall into the hands of the airport. Ethan claims that he only wants Danny good. At home, he asks Mary to withdraw this money from a bank account, allegedly for household needs, but does not disclose to her the true purpose of the bank.
When everyone in the house falls asleep, Ethan sees how his daughter Ellen, who often walks in a dream, goes to a glassed-in slide and takes in the hands of the Hawley family mascot. It is such an opal color hummock either from quartz, or from jasper, a little rough to the touch and always warm. On it there is a meander without beginning and end. He does not shine, but as if absorbs the surrounding light. By tradition, it is allowed to touch, but you can not take it out of the house. When the girl puts the stone back and leaves, Ethan takes it in his arms, feels the warmth of Ellen and understands how close she is to him.
On Monday, Joy Morphy tells Ethan about his suspicions about Marullo. Apparently, he is in the United States illegally and does not travel to his homeland because he can not get documents for a return trip.
The next day the postman brings to Ethan an envelope from Danny Taylor. In the envelope – written and signed testament and a promissory note. In a state of numbness, Ethan brings cleanliness in the shop, reaching the dustiest corners, hosing the sidewalk in front of the entrance with a hose. While working, he croons a quote from Shakespeare: “The winter of our anxiety is behind us…”
… It’s June. The children of Iten are preparing for the contest of compositions on the theme “For what I love America”. Danny Taylor disappears from the city. Marullo is rumored to be going to Italy, although he does not directly say so. At the same time, the state authorities began to be interested in the affairs of New Baytown, an audit was appointed. Mr. Baker pretends to be extremely concerned and frightened by this. One day, Ethan telephones from New York to New York to the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States Department of Justice. A few days later a man comes into the shop, calling himself a federal agent. He asks Ethan simple questions about Marullo. All this time, thoughts about Danny Taylor do not give Antenna rest. At the recollection of it, Iten’s heart aches.
The Fourth of July is approaching Independence Day. Ethan knows that Mr. Baker is leaving town for a holiday. According to Joey Morphy, banks should be robbed on the eve of big holidays.
On Thursday, June 30th, Ethan takes the remaining money from the bank. To Mr. Baker, he explains this by the fact that Marullo is in trouble and that he will leave the shop with Ethan if Ethan pays five thousand in cash – the cost of all the property.
First of July. This is a borderline milestone. Tomorrow Ethan will be a completely different person. He must give up conventional views, but, having achieved the goal, will return to the old norms of behavior. After all, war does not make a soldier a murderer,
At the dawn, Ethan leaves the house, taking the talisman with him for the first time.
He himself does not know when the game ceased to be a game. Joy with his rules of bank robbery, the approaching holiday… The plan is designed to the smallest detail. And as for the crime of this plan, it’s a crime against money, not against people. What concerns Danny and Marullo is much worse.
Saturday, the second of July. Everything is accurately calculated and should happen in a few minutes. But at the moment when Ethan is ready to step over the threshold of his shop, a car drives up. And the bank robbery breaks down. This is an official who, at the request of Marullo, brought documents to Ethan for possession of a bench. Marullo wants to transfer the store to Ethan free of charge. Marullo himself was deported. Ethan is the only person in this country who has never tried to deceive him. Therefore, he wants to support Iten. This is like a payment for electricity in advance, so that the light is not turned off so that the fire does not go out.
Iten destroys the attributes of robbery and forgets this idea for ever.
On the fourth of July the Hawley family receives joyful news – Ethan Allen Hawley II receives a commendable response for the contest essay. Together with other laureates, he will appear on television.
On July 5th, Danny Taylor was found dead in the basement of his abandoned manor. Ethan immediately goes to Baker, shows him Danny’s receipts and requires himself most of the profits from the future airport. Mr. Baker is shocked – it turns out that Ethan is not that cute fool for whom he is being received.
Major officials in New Baytown and the county of Wessex already give evidence in a jury trial on charges of various kinds of abuse, and the city is said to be the new mayor of Ethan.
On this day, the Hawley family celebrated the victory of Allen in the competition. Pronouncing the toast, Ethan recites: “The winter of our anxiety is behind us…”
Late in the evening, Ethan goes for a walk and goes to Margie. She knows perfectly well about the betrayals of Iten and guesses that Ethan will torment his conscience all his life. Now, after the death of her ex-husband, Margie was left without a livelihood. And she offers Ethan his friendship for some small percentage. Without giving her an answer, Ethan leaves.
Near his house, he sees a chic car. Itena is urgently looking for a man from New York. It turns out that an anonymous postcard has been received on television, which says that Allen’s essay is not written independently, but entirely consists of the sayings of the great American figures. It’s really so, and now Allen can not get the prize, Rising to the nursery, Ethan realizes that the informer is Ellen.
He leaves the house, putting a bundle of razor blades into his pocket. Ellen tries to keep him, but he promises her that she will return. He goes to the Vault. The tide is already beginning, the water is flooding the Vault. In the direction of the harbor a sailboat sails, a splash of anchor is heard, and the lights on the ship go out. Each person also carries a lonely light. Now the fire of Iten is extinguished, and the darkness is coming. But, thrusting his hand into his pocket to reach for the blade, he discovers there is a talisman. To the waist in the water, Ethan struggles to get out of the shelter. He must give the talisman to his new owner. To not go out one more light.
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