Discovering America

The subtitle of the book indicates a search for America, which is often a theme in travel literature for the United States. Steinbeck makes the logical case for each journey being unique to time, place, person and mood. What might be beautiful to one person could be ugly and fearful or even disgusting to another. But just what is America? What defines it, what makes it something unique? This is what Steinbeck seeks and sometimes he finds it, understands it and can write about it.

The United States is a huge country made up of regions with their unique qualities. Of this Steinbeck is sure. Certain stereotypes hold, such as the country farm he had once seen as a child in a viewing Easter egg. He knows this because he encounters a similar place in New England. In Wisconsin he sees dairy farms that seem too neat...