The depiction of animals as demonstrating the features that are deemed positive from the human’s standpoint is nothing new and indeed has been in use long before the publication of Travels with Charley. Indeed, by contrasting the dog’s behavior and character to that of humans he’s encountered on the road, Steinbeck makes an excellent point of his observations.

This alone could serve as an explanation for Charley’s role in Steinbeck’s trip. This last fact is especially important for us, as the nature-centric approach, the denial of human superiority, and the stressing on the animals’ positive traits compared to humans were on the rise in this period. The era which is commonly associated with the disillusionment in humanity: the ongoing Cold War has already turned the idea of total destruction of mankind into a feasible, and a very real threat, the sharpening civil rights struggles across America have discredited the concept of compassion and brotherhood, the Vietnam War has begun to gain its notoriety on a large scale, and the hippie movement was already emerging as a reaction to all this. The research by some specialists that point to discrepancies and inconsistencies within the story and suggest that it is at least partially fictionalized, further strengthen the suspicion that Charley is not simply a random or a sentimental choice, but rather a deliberately selected way of conveying the intended message, the idea permeating the book.įirst of all, it is important to note the time at which the journey was undertaken: The early sixties. While the simpler explanations, like an attachment to a pet, are tempting, there are likely deeper reasons for this move. A peculiar detail that often draws the attention of scholars and readers alike is his choice of partner – his French poodle, Charley. And I propose to discuss them as they were the first thrust on my attention” (Steinbeck 44). The most often cited reason for the endeavor, stated by Steinbeck himself, was the disconnection from the country he was writing about, and the desire to experience it closely rather than from the bird-eye view.īesides, he probably wanted to taste the local culture instead of the blurred non-distinctive nation-wide image, which can be seen in Steinbeck’s statement “There are customs, attitudes, myths and directions and changes that seem to be part of the structure of America. It recounts the observations and impression which emerged during the trip undertaken by the author in his late fifties. Travels With Charley is structured in the form of a travel diary.

Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck