Fukuoka Women’s University　　Scott Pugh

　　Few American writers have generated so much lavish praise and unrestrained complaint as John Steinbeck, and that wide range of volatile opinion is alone enough to suggest that his work will continue to attract interested readers, both professional and amateur. Taking a broad look at American literary history, almost everyone would agree that The Grapes of Wrath stands above any other work in its majestic portrayal of the rural poor during the Depression years. However, recent Steinbeck critics have moved beyond the powerful presentation of broad economic and social issues in his work, focusing in particular on gender representations, ecological issues, ethical philosophy, and other thematic concerns.
　　 In this presentation I will consider a single short story from Pastures of Heaven, the chapter on Raymond Banks, and show that implicit in the narrative's particulars of style and symbol is a thought-provoking presentation of fundamental moral issues few of us consider deeply-indeed, which few of us are aware of at all. Specifically, Steinbeck's story offers a fascinating basis for juxtaposing the ecology and the ethics of what we eat, and of what we kill, and in doing so the story suggests that Steinbeck's work in general will continue to generate lively controversy and deep interest well into the future.