Review of "Tortilla Flat" by John Steinbeck
While not his first novel, “Tortilla Flat” was a modest success for Steinbeck and led directly into his most famous literary works. The book takes place in Monterey, California. “Tortilla Flat” is an area settled by paisanos that live a simple life. The main character is Danny, although the book focuses more on his friends Pilon, Pablo, and Jesus Maria. Danny inherits two small houses from his grandfather and lets his friend Pilon "rent" out the smaller cottage. Unfortunately, Pilon never pays rent and accidentally burns the house down. The story then becomes about Danny taking in each of his friends into his small home. None of the characters work for a living, but it's implied Danny maybe had some money after just getting out of the U.S. Army. Instead of working, Danny's friends hustle, plot, scheme, steal and manipulate other people for food and, most importantly, wine.
The character of Pilon, in particular, is an interesting one. Besides Danny, he is the only one who understands what he is doing and how to manipulate his friends. In the beginning, he tries to get his friends to pay his rent for him. Pilon looks down on a man known as Pirate for living in an abandoned chicken coop with his dogs. Even though Pirate is the only one that works for food and saves up his money. Yet Pilon lives with Danny rent-free, and the thought of work is almost unfathomable to him. It is brought up several times that they can get some day jobs down by the docks, yet the friends only resort to it once or twice throughout the novel.
Shortly after moving in with Danny, Pilon has aspirations of paying Danny rent and comes to a somewhat crossroads at a church. At one point, he says to himself, “The soul capable of the greatest good is also capable of the greatest evil” (Steinbeck, 22). An interesting moral assertation from Pilon, given it's often stated that he is a very clever man that is good with people and words. However, instead of putting his talents to work, Pilon rather live off his friends and occasionally steal if he believes it's owed to him.
While reading this novel, I thought Pilon was a genuinely terrible person and that all of the men were alcoholics. Given that they buy jugs of wine most of the time instead of doing the right thing with their money, like pay rent to their friend that supports them. It's easy to forget that this novel was written in the 1930's during The Great Depression of American history and towards the end of the prohibition era. So, alcohol was something to be desired. Still, it's hard to imagine a group of grown men living together, and the only one working is the Pirate man, who's referred to as having the mind of a child.
Although I sound a bit negative, I actually enjoyed reading this book. Most of it revolves around these odd characters and their interactions with the townsfolk. Scattered throughout the book are these short glimpses into the lives of other characters with more exciting lives. For instance, the teenage soldier from Mexico with his newborn son coming to California looking for his wife. Or Danny's short relationship with the neighbor lady and buying her a vacuum cleaner, only to steal it back. It's these smaller stories that are spaced out well that kept me reading the novel.
The book has a sad ending but not unfitting for the story that is being told. One of the themes in the novel is that of treasuring the simple things in life. All of the friends seem happy to be living the “freeloader” lifestyle; because it is enough for them to simply enjoy the wine and watch the sunset from the porch. However, the book also shows that their lifestyles are not sustaining, and the men often struggle for food. The book also paints Danny as a pushover character, letting Pilon make all the decisions and not pay rent in exchange for their friendship. I think in the end, the story proves that his friends were really the downfall of Danny.
A short read, “Tortilla Flat” is a staple of Steinbeck's work, keeping with his tradition of writing stories in Monterey and around the Salinas valley. It portrays a different side of living in the 1930's but in line with Steinbeck's other works, such as “Of Mice and Men”. I recommend reading this book, but do keep in mind the time that it was written. I will say the portrayals of women in the book are terrible; most are seen as promiscuous or viewed as property of men. However, the town's lifestyle and charm invites the reader into these characters' lives and carries you until the end. As someone who enjoys Steinbeck's work style and settings, “Tortilla Flat” was a good book, but not as great as some of his other works.
Works Cited
Steinbeck, John. Tortilla Flat, Penguin Books, 1977, pp. 22
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