Luscious Literature - Books you haven’t read—yet

By Rob Kirkner
Collegian Staff
October 11, 2006

Before Lenny killed George, before Tom Joad guaranteed that he’d be there and before Cal slew Aaron, a nameless Spanish corporal mounted a hill, in pursuit of a deer, and discovered a valley so lush, so green, so alive, that it encouraged from his lips, “Las Pasturas del Cielo,” or “The Pastures of Heaven.”

So begins John Steinbeck’s second novel, published in 1932, which, at the time of its release, met critical approval, but only moderate success. Seventy years later, it is still a little-known work, existing in the shadows of such Steinbeck marvels as Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. Despite its modest dent in the literary world, The Pastures of Heaven is an entertaining history of a valley, and the people who inhabit it from 1863 to the late 1950s.

Like a quilt, The Pastures of Heaven stitches together the stories of different families, properties, men, women and institutions of the valley. To sew these stories to each other, Steinbeck uses the threads of interaction, relationships and legacies. Then, like a mosaic, these lone stories all converge in one brilliant illustration of life in pastoral California.

One of the more exceptional stories is of the rise and fall of a child named Tularecito. Discovered abandoned in some brush one day by a farmhand, the boy’s origins are a mystery. He is taken in, and soon grows into a slow-witted, unsocial giant. When school starts, it becomes clear to Tularecito that he isn’t normal, and a search for his identity ensues. His exploration ends in a violent misunderstanding when a local farmer interferes, and Tularecito is taken to an asylum for the criminally insane.

This kind of short, unassuming story doesn’t present any troubling moral dilemma, voice a people’s frustration or explore psychological depths—so why read The Pastures of Heaven?

Steinbeck’s writing. Oftentimes he’ll erupt into effusive prose that expound for pages on the beauty of the valley, the emotions of the characters and the tension of circumstances. He’s training, really—preparing for his masterpieces to come, sharpening his tools, developing his skill.

This book is more a collection of written paintings than an enthralling plotline, and for that it should be simply enjoyed and admired. Pick it up, read a few pages and set it back down — The Pastures of Heaven is a quick literary gem to enjoy in between more ambitious readings.

kirknerr1@lasalle.edu