Pepé's Flight

Foreshadows Pepe's long yet manly death " 'When did Pepe come to be a man?' Emilio asked.  'Last night', said Rosy.  'Last night in Monterey.' The ocean clouds turned red with the sun" (Flight).

Reminds me of the comfort I felt while
at Redwood National Park" Once Pepe
was among the trees, the sun was lost.
 A perfumed and purple light lay in the
 pale green of the underbrush. Goseberry
bushes and  blackberries and tall ferns
lined the stream, and overhead the
 branches of the redwoods met
and cut off the sky."

       When I expressed my esteem for John Steinbeck, I knew that I was inevitably provoking my sister.  (My oldest sister and I get along very well despite having polar opposite personalities.) Just as I expect, she immediately advises me that Steinbeck is too descriptive and boring. Even though I completely disagree with her, I let her continue her spiel because it’s pretty funny to watch her argue. Later, I realized that my sister’s desire to defend her opinion is similar to Pepé’s aspiration in Steinbeck’s Flight. The main difference being that my sister established her argument with words whereas Pepé proved his manliness with a knife. I can’t help but feel bad for Pepé though. Steinbeck’s use of non-omniscient third person narrative makes it clear that the Torres family is impoverished and uneducated. Pepé is not taught to articulate his feelings through words. However he is taught to defend his family and he does so by killing the man who dishonors him. More importantly, Steinbeck uses this technique to address the oppression of migrant laborers in California during the 1930s. The Torres are the stereotypical Mexican Indian family, struggling to survive on barren property. Naturally the Torres family needs Pepé, the oldest child, to provide for the family after the death of their father.
                One of the reasons I enjoy reading Steinbeck’s literature is because he often uses non-omniscient third person narrative. This type of narrative makes me feel apart of the story. I think some people may dislike Steinbeck because of his bleak descriptions. In my opinion Steinbeck provides just enough details, allowing me to gradually form a picture in my mind. Then Steinbeck says one vivid word (such as glinting, sloshed or gnawing) which completes the image. The story feels real because Steinbeck’s descriptions depict the harsh reality to life. I can picture myself with Pepé, traveling to Monterey “the white light beat on the rocks and reflected from them and rose up quivering from the earth again, and the rocks and bushes seemed to quiver behind the air”. I enjoy the challenge that I can’t tell what Pepé is thinking. I can only try to understand   him through the ten lines he speaks throughout the whole story. To me this makes Flight all the more real.

The Power of the Chalice

       Lately, I have associated The Power and The Glory (1939) with The Silver Chalice (1952). (I have not read The Silver Chalice since 2008, so if anyone notices any mistakes please correct me!) I am not exactly sure why I immediately correlate these unlike stories. Part of me wonders if Graham Greene and Thomas B. Costain were prompted by similar historical events, to write similar themes. Maybe Greene and Costain created stories that surround faith because of the effects Communism had on the world at that time. Regardless, each story involves the epic journey of the main character. Society labels the Whiskey priest and Basil (sculptor and former slave) sinners, because the priest and Basil’s flaws are easily recognized. Yet both are given the responsibility to carry chalices, symbols of the Catholic faith.

      The Whiskey priest carts one of the only chalices left in Mexico, allowing him to secretly say mass. And Basil carries the cup or the Holy Grail, one of the last objects that represent Jesus existence. I think the Whiskey Priest and Basil are more than worthy of carrying such responsibilities because they utilize the grace that is associated with the objects. On the outside both characters appear to be undeserving, but in reality these characters are more humble than those who surround them. Both character's are put under a large amount of pressure and gracefully accomplish their responsibilities.