The Winter Of Our Discontent

The Belle-Adair is the once-legendary ship that transported the white settlers of New Baytown to Long Island. It is the symbol of imperialism, white superiority, and power. But the settlers destroy it, highlighting the importance of letting go of the past. The Belle-Adair can live on as a myth, but it should not inform New Baytown’s present or future. Ethan has heard rumors that the Belle-Adair was purposely burned down in the town elders’ attempts to collect insurance money. This theory shocks Mr. Baker, but it is not shocking to Ethan and, by extension, Steinbeck. Because this story is about American ruthlessness, the burning of a ship for insurance money fits perfectly into the immorality of acquiring money at any cost. If it is true that the settlers destroyed this ship for the insurance money, then the founding of New Baytown is based on dishonesty, manipulation, and fraud. This founding fits the contemporary ethos of New Baytown, which still continues its fraudulent behavior. It also reveals the entitlement and moral superiority of the white settlers’ families to be based on a lie.

New Baytown is both a setting and a symbol in The Winter of Our Discontent. New Baytown is a sea-side village in Long Island, New York. It is notable for its port wealth, status, and history. But New Baytown’s idyllic and romantic image contrasts with a seedier reality. The townspeople who manage New Baytown care more about their own wealth than about the community’s wellbeing. The state government launches an investigation against New Baytown for fraud, emphasizing the dishonesty that propels New Baytown’s success. New Baytown is a place of societal pressure, xenophobia, and a fraudulent history. In Steinbeck’s view, this makes New Baytown a quintessential American town. It is notable that Steinbeck set his novel in New York, instead of the American West (the setting for most of Steinbeck’s fiction). The setting of New York provides opportunities for carefully detailed writing about the natural scenery, but more importantly, New York has four seasons. The symbolic change from winter into spring into summer parallels Ethan’s character development and echoes the novel’s title.