American Society

Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch deals primarily with Henry Miller's life in California following his return from Europe as his places of refuge, Paris and Corfu, are overtaken by the Nazis. He makes clear that he had left the United States before the war disgruntled and determined never to return but has little choice. He recalls a young Egyptian who had worked for him in that earlier period who had come to the land of plenty and found that he could not survive its crass materialism. Miller seems to commiserate, but never says why he flees abroad. Returning, Miller finds no peace until he visits Big Sur and immediately wants to put down roots there.

Postwar Americans boast of the highest standard of living in the world and are poised to impose it on the rest of the impoverished and backward world. This is...