To a God Unknown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 First edition "To a God Unknown" cover |
|
| Author | John Steinbeck |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Robert O. Ballou |
| Released | 1933 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
| Preceded by | Cup of Gold |
To a God Unknown is a novel by John Steinbeck, first published in 1933. The book was Steinbeck's second (after his unsuccessful Cup of Gold), the title taken from a hymn excerpt of the Rig Veda's Book X. Steinbeck found To a God Unknown extremely difficult to write; taking him roughly five years to complete, the novella proved more time-consuming than either East of Eden or The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's longest novels.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
In this short novel, Steinbeck explores the relationship of man to his land. The plot follows a man, Joseph Wayne, who moves to California in order to establish a homestead, leaving his father, who soon dies.
[edit] Plot summary
After receiving a blessing from his dying father, Joseph moves to central California and settles in a valley near a town called Nuestra Señora. Shortly after begining to build his homestead, he receives a letter from one of his brothers that their father had died, and in that moment Joseph feels that his father's soul enters the large oak tree by his homesite.
Josephs three brothers subsequently move out to the valley with their families, and homestead the adjacent land. One day, the brothers come across a pine forest, and in the center is a quiet, circular glade with a stream flowing out of the large rock. Juanito, a ranch-hand, tells them that it is a sacred place to the indios.
Joseph then marries a school-teacher from Monterey named Elizabeth. Upon returning to the farm from the wedding, they find that the youngest brother, Benjy, had been stabbed by Juanito when he discovered him seducing his wife. When they meet later that night at the sacred rock, Jaunito asks Joseph to kill him in revenge for his brother, but Joseph refuses. Joseph wants to make it look like an accident, and for him to stay, but Juanito flees the farm.
For a time, the farm prospers, and Elizabeth bears a child. Burton, a devout Christian, becomes increasingly concerned with Joseph's late night 'talks' with the tree. The farm is then the site of a New Year's fiesta, and Burton decides to leave the farm after seeing the 'pagan' activities. After he leaves, the remaining brothers discover that Burton had girdled the tree to slowly kill it. In the following rainless winter everything begins to die as a severe drought sets in.
One day, Joseph and Elizabeth visit the glade. Elizabeth decides to climb on the mossy side, when she falls and breaks her neck. Soon thereafter, Joseph and Thomas decide to drive the cattle out to San Joaquin to find green pastures. At the last minute, Joseph decides to stay, then lives by the rock and watches the stream dry up. Juanito returns and convinces Joseph to visit the town's priest, which he does. He returns to the rock to find the stream dry. When running towards his horse, he frightens the animal and receives a cut on the arm. Joseph then climbs to the top of the rock and slits his wrists. He feels the rain falling down, and realizes that he is the rain.
[edit] Characters in "To a God Unknown"
- Joseph Wayne (protagonist)
- Thomas Wayne
- Burton Wayne
- Benjy Wayne
- John Wayne
- Elizabeth
- Rama
- Juanito
- Alice
- Father Angelo
[edit] Major themes
The novel examines what is meant by belief and how it affects different people. It also portrays the connection between the farmer and the land, a common theme, which appeared also in his later novels, such as East of Eden. It was one of Steinbeck's first books.
