Reading Steinbeck

Sweet Thursday - John Steinbeck

"I wonder if I could learn?"

"You can if you just remember a lot of things: first, you got to remember you're Suzy and you ain't nobody else but Suzy. Then you got to remember that Suzy is a good thing -  a real valuable thing - and there ain't nothing like it in the world. It don't do no harm just to say that to yourself. Then, when you got that, remember that there's one hell of a lot Suzy don't know. Only way she can find out is if she sees it, reads it, or ask it. Most people don't look at nothing but themselves, and that's a rat race......nobody don't give a particular damn about Suzy one way or the other. It's hard to get them thinking about you because they're too busy thinking about themselves. There's two, three, cooper-bottom ways to get their attention: Talk about them....Now when you got their attention, first thing they want is to do something for you. Let them. Don't get proud and say you don't need it or want it. That's a slap in the puss. Thing people like most in the world is to give you something and have you like it and it it. That ain't sloppy. That works."

Sounds about right.

And so, I am on the sequel to Cannery Row (I wished I had read the book before I went to the actual Cannery Row) - Sweet Thursday. And it all started when I first picked up The Pearl ("Hmm..standard literature text, plus it's skinny, so it shouldn't be that difficult to finish..."), and then Of Mice and Men, and then Grapes of Wrath, and then Travel with Charlie, Sea of Cortez, and East of Eden. And of course Cannery Row somewhere in the middle.

I like the way how Steinbeck describes his characters in his writings, that draws up an image immediately by describing his or her essences through their mannerism, the words that they say, even without giving any physical descriptions.  And the moral struggles his characters go through, that resonate with anybody as they read his works (What would I do if I am Kino?) Since I am not attempting an critique exercise, not going to draw up examples to justify my statements (that's too tiring!).   Right now, I am just waiting to see how Mack and Fauna's costume party will turn out..