Book Review: Winter of Our Discontent (John Steinbeck) "Winners and Loser in the Game of Life"

by Zach M.

In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, an unemployed Charles B. Darrow developed the board game Monopoly. Upon release, the game was an instant hit. In the interim, Monopoly became an American Icon –according to Hasbro, the owner of the rights to the game, it is the “best-selling board game in the world” and a “phenomenal pastime.” Born during a period of economic strife, Monopoly has lured generations with its promise of riches, however imaginary. With prudent management of assets, aggressive competition with fellow players, and, above all, luck, anyone may be elevated to the status of the beloved Mr. Moneybags. Other players are overcome as a consequence of victory—game theorists call this zero-sum; all players have consented to the risk in the pursuit of said victory. Still, what are the consequences of a zero-sum worldview? In The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck meditates on winners and losers, the interplay between both in the “game” of life, and, ultimately, the lengths to which some men are willing to go to ensure that they find themselves standing proudly on the winners stand, along with the repercussions of those actions.