Tortilla Flat (novel)
Tortilla Flat is a picaresque novel by John Steinbeck from 1935. The German translation by Elisabeth Rotten was published in 1943 under the title The wonderful rascals by Tortilla Flat and from the 1950s under the original title Tortilla Flat . The action takes place after the First World War in the eponymous Paisano settlement above Monterey in California and in 17 episodes depicts the experiences of a group of young idlers of Mexican-Indian origin in a humorous way .
overview
Tortilla Flat is not a novel with a stringent plot, but a collection of 17 burlesques built on one another around Danny. His circle of friends expands from story to story: Pilon, Pablo, Jesus Maria, pirate, Big Joe Portage, all of them possessed, harmless idlers, bon vivants without permanent jobs with a need for community. Their thoughts revolve exclusively around the basic needs of their existence, which they procure through finds, cunning bartering, petty theft and fraud. In doing so, they fundamentally disregard the limits and property rights of others and calm their consciences through grotesque moral justification attempts, their rip-offs are for the benefit of the stolen or are a justified revenge for their greed. The recurring building blocks of the stories are: Danny's little house as a meeting place for friends, the "daily miracle of eating" and above all of drinking, the arguments with the landlord Torrelli, idleness with the sunbathing on the veranda and gossip from their surroundings, the sexual affairs with promiscuous women to whom they bring gifts when they visit, quarrels and reconciliation between friends.
content
- 1 How Danny, returning from the war, found himself an heir and how he vowed to protect the helpless
After Danny during the First World War in Texas mules trained , has he returned to Monterey back and learns that his grandfather has bequeathed two old houses it. However, Danny doesn't want to take on the responsibility of a homeowner, gets drunk, riot and is locked in jail. After his escape he meets his old drinking friend Pilon, a former infantryman in Oregon, who takes him out for brandy. Danny is so touched that he wants to share everything with his friends.
- 2 How Pilon let himself be tempted by the need for recognition to forego Danny's hospitality
Pilon suggests that Danny move into the larger of the two houses. He catches a rooster running around freely, exchanges a few vases and jugs for wine, and over dinner persuades his friend to rent the second house to him. They are haggling over the price that Pilon will probably never be able to pay.
- 3 How Pilon struggled with the poison of possessiveness, and how the evil spirit got hold of him for a time
Danny and Pilon get wine and food through small rip-offs, invite women, fight over them and complain of their infidelity when they have since disappeared with saucepans. After a month, Pilon will find a solution for the rent due. He meets Pablo, who has been released from prison, and wins him as a lodger. Now he has the excuse to Danny that he'll pay the rent when he gets the money from Pablo.
- 4 How Jesus Maria Corcoran, a good person, became a vessel of sin against his will
After a visit to Danny with gossip and allusions to rent, Pablo and Pilon meet the drunken Jesus Maria Corcoran on the beach. He sold a rowboat that was washed ashore in Monterey for seven dollars and converted part of it into wine and silk panties for the prostitute Anabella Gross. They want to get his remaining money and make living together in their rented house appealing to him. He promises them to pay rent to the impatient Danny, but for his three dollars in cash he first wants to give Arabella a bra. They discuss the sensible use of the money and agree to get wine and food first.
- 5 How St. Francis repented and gently punished Pilon, Pablo, and Jesus Mary
Pilon and Pablo flattered the landlady Torrelli two liters of wine and also stole some firewood. At dinner Jesus Mary comes to them with a bruised face. He was beaten up by soldiers while he was drinking Arabella's whiskey. Now they warm themselves by the fire and fall asleep tired from the wine. A candle bought by Pablo and lit in honor of St. Francis tips over and, fanned by a wind, sets the house on fire. Jesus Maria runs to Danny. He's staying with his neighbor Mrs. Morales, just asks if the fire brigade is there and doesn't care about his burning house.
- 6 How three poor sinners made peace through repentance, and how Danny's friends swore comradeship to one another
After their house burns down, Pablo, Pilon and Jesus Maria spend the night in the pine forest. In the morning a picnic party set up shop near them. They lure her away with wildcat hissing and cries for help, steal her food basket and wander with it to Danny to apologize. He has already freed himself from the stressful spiritual responsibility for his property, drinks and eats with them in a new feeling of friendship and lets them all live with him.
- 7 How Danny's Friends Became an Aid for Good. How they helped the poor pirate
“The pirate” is a simple-minded man who walks around with his five dogs and collects wood. Through the sale he has probably accumulated a little treasure over the years. Pilon wants to find out where the money is hidden. He visits him with a candle and a candy cane as a present in his hideout, a chicken coop. He tells him his friends are worried about his health because of the cold accommodation, but he is not very approachable. In a second attempt, the friends visit him together and invite him to live with Danny. The pirate now brings parcels of leftover food with him every day, which he receives from compassionate hosts, and thus takes care of the whole company. The four secretly pursue him on his walks in the forest to discover his hiding place, but without success. Finally, they openly warn him about thieves who can track down treasure. Pirate then brings them a sack with his savings and gives it to them to keep. He had vowed to offer St. Francis a golden candle holder if he would save his sick dog. Since this happened even if the dog was run over by a truck soon afterwards, he has to keep his promise once he has collected the purchase price. Now they must help him fulfill his vow.
- 8 How Danny's friends looked for a mysterious treasure on St. Andrew's Night. How Pilon found him and how later a pair of cloth trousers changed hands twice
Joe Portagee spent half his life in prison, including serving in the military. After serving his last sentence for burning down a brothel, he meets his old friend Pilon, who, like all Paisanos, searches for treasures in the forest on St. Andrew's Night. They mark a suspicious spot, but to avoid the magic, they are only allowed to dig the next day. You stay at Danny's house and the next night you come across only one survey point while digging. Out of disappointment, they get drunk on the beach with wine, which Joe has exchanged for a stolen woolen blanket from Danny's. To punish Joe for stealing from his host, he takes off the drunk's fine cloth trousers and trades a glass of wine from Mrs. Torrelli. When she leaves the room, Pilon takes the pants out of her closet, discovers the blanket and disappears with both. This is how the pieces come back to their owners.
- 9 How Danny got caught up in a vacuum cleaner and how his friends saved him
Dolores Engracia Ramirez has heard of Danny's inheritance and wants to befriend him. She invites him to her house for wine. He wants to bring her a present and buys a used vacuum cleaner at Mr. Simon's pawn shop with the money he earned from stolen copper nails, even though Dolores' house has no electricity. “Dear Ramirez” shows off her rich boyfriend in front of the girlfriends, pushes the machine over the floor and shows them the advantages of the machine. Danny spends every evening with her. His friends are worried about his health and want to disrupt the relationship. They make different attempts, but for Danny Dolores has lost her attraction and he is happy to let them resolve it. Pilon steals the vacuum cleaner from her house and trades it at Torrelli's for wine, which the old friends drink. They listened with glee to the news of Torrelli's fit of rage when he noticed that the vacuum cleaner had no motor.
- 10 How friends comforted a corporal and learned a lesson on paternal morality in return
The philanthropist Jesus Maria Corcoran rescues the homeless 16-year-old Mexican “corporal” and his sick baby from arrest and brings him to Danny's house. Before they can get a doctor, the child dies. The young man tells them his story. His girlfriend changed him for a captain and he went to the USA with the baby so that he could become a “general” and one day he would be better off than his father and that he could take whatever he wanted. Now, after the death of the child, he is returning to Mexico to become an officer. The friends bid him farewell in admiration.
- 11 How, in the harshest of circumstances, love for Big Joe Portagee came.
Joe Portagee takes refuge from the rain in Tia Ignacias' house. He drinks wine with her, then falls asleep. She wanted a little more entertainment, is angry at his passivity and beats him out of the house. While he fends off her attack in the rain in the middle of the street, he feels like hugging her. A policeman comes by and tells her to stop making love in the middle of the muddy road because of the danger of being run over.
- 12 How Danny's friends helped the pirate keep a vow, and how the pirate's dogs had a sacred vision as a reward for their bravery
After the pirate's sack of money disappears from Danny's bed, suspicion turns to Big Joe when he shows up with a gallon of wine. They beat him up until he surrenders the treasure and regrets his mistake. Afterwards they are reconciled and help the pirate to fulfill his vow. They bring the thousand coins to Father Ramon. He buys a golden candle holder, preaches on Sunday about St. Francis and praises the donor, who listens, dressed up and touched by his friends. The service is disturbed by his dogs storming into the San Carlos Church to their master. The priest forgives them in the spirit of the animal-loving saint. Later the pirate in the forest tells the dogs about Ramon's sermon. Suddenly the dogs react to a short, low sound and the pirate thinks that Francis appeared to them.
- 13 How Danny's friends came to the aid of a desperate woman
Teresina Cortez, her old mother, Vieja, and her nine children, who come from different relationships, feed mainly on cornmeal cakes with beans, which she gathers from the harvested fields. In a year the entire bean harvest will be rotten by constant rain and the family is threatened with famine. The prayers of the Vieja and her candle donations have not changed anything and she is angry with the saints. The compassionate Jesus Maria Corcoran and his friends collect and steal food indiscriminately in Monterey, bring it to Teresina every day, so that their house is soon overcrowded. But part of it is spoiled and the children get sick. Teresa explains to the friends that this never happened with the previous diet. So they get four sacks of beans from the “Western Warehouse Company” store and put them in front of their door that night. Teresa and the Vieja believe in a miracle and repent of their doubts about the Blessed Virgin. The children are thriving again and Teresa, who is almost thirty, is pregnant for the ninth time, but does not know which of the friends is the father.
- 14 About the good life in Danny's house. About a gift pig, the pain of Tall Bob and the unhappy love of Viejo Ravanno
The friends enjoy the day in the house and on the veranda and tell each other curious stories: Emilio Murietta gave his girlfriend Cornelia a piglet and it was brought back by the mother pig. After Bop Smoke was laughed at by the people, he tried to make them repent by a fake suicide attempt. When Charlie Meelers tried to knock the pistol held to his head out of his hand, he shot the tip of his nose off. Desperate to be rejected by the flirtatious Gracie Montez, Petey Ravanno hung himself up and was saved at the last minute. Because of her remorse, he got his mistress as a wife. His father used the same method on Gracie's sister, Tonia, but was not saved in time and died. Tonia laughed at it and seduced her brother-in-law.
- 15 How Danny broke into broods and went mad. How the devil, in the form of Torrelli, attacked Danny's house
Danny no longer wants to take responsibility for the house and the accommodation of his friends and wants the days of freedom back. One day he goes into hiding. At night he fetches objects from the house, even Pilon's shoes, and trades them for wine at the landlord Torrelli. It is said in the city that he rioted while drunk, beat himself up, stole and was temporarily put in prison. One day Torrelli shows up at his friends' house, tells them that he bought Danny's house from him for $ 25, shows them the sales contract for Danny's house and tells them to move out. They tear the paper from his hand and burn it. Danny later returns with groceries he bought with Torrelli's money, denies he signed the contract and is satisfied with the unconventional solution to the problem.
- 16 From Danny's gloom. How Danny's friends gave company through self-sacrifice. How Danny was taken from the world
Danny changed after returning to the house. He looks tired, powerless and sad. His friends wonder how they can cheer him up. To raise money for a festival, they spend a whole day cutting fish at Chin Kee. The word gets around in Tortilla Flat and everyone wants to help. They decorate the house, bring drinks and food, party and dance all night long and finally beat each other drunk. Danny is the hero of society and the darling of women in all areas. Weeks later, from the various statements of the drunken guests, a version crystallized: Danny grew into a superhuman figure, challenged everyone to fight, fell into the forty-foot deep gorge behind the house and lay there, shattered. The friends carried the dying man into his house, accompanied by the loud complaints of the women.
- 17 How Danny's sad friends defied convention. How the talisman that tied them together burned and each of the friends went their own way
Danny is buried as a former soldier with a military escort, flag, cavalry with powder car, command and music. The population has prepared their mourning clothes for the celebration, only the friends do not have adequate equipment and have to watch the funeral hidden behind the churchyard fence. Then they drink wine in Danny's house and talk about his great deeds. Pilon lights a cigarette, flicks the match into the room. Everyone watches as a newspaper and then the room catches fire, and let the "symbol of sacred friendship" burn down. The house is supposed to die like Danny. Nobody is allowed to live in it after them. Then they separate and wander away, "each one for himself".
Explanations
- Steinbeck's stories were inspired by experiences that he had made with Mexican workers in the 1920s as a casual worker in a sugar factory.
- In the foreword he ironically compares Danny's house with King Arthur's Round Table and his friends with the knights who blossom in beauty and wisdom and want to do good in the world. The chapter headings correspond structurally (How ....) to those in Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (printed 1485 ), of which Steinbeck made a translation into modern English from 1957 , which was published in 1976 , i.e. after his death: The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, From the Winchester Manuscripts of Malory and Others .
- In his novel Die Straße der Ölsardinen (Cannery Row, 1945) the author resorts to “Tortilla Flat” thematically and atmospherically: mostly cheerful or tragicomic events from the port district of Monterey from the 1920s and 30s are told.
reception
- The first two publishers rejected the publication, but Steinbeck achieved the first major success of his writing career with his fourth work, but in retrospect he did not see it as one of his masterpieces.
- At the front desk, Danny and his friends were often judged to be day thieves and bums. In the preface to the Random House edition (1937), Steinbeck reacted to this assessment: “They are people I know and like, people who successfully adapt to their living space [...] good, friendly people who like to laugh. [...] If I have harmed them with my stories, I am sorry. It will never happen again. "
- The book was banned as immoral in Ireland. ( And Teresina discovered, by her method, which had proven infallible to her, that she was expecting a baby. As she put a quart of the new beans in the cauldron, she pondered idly which of Danny's friends was probably responsible for it - is already a high point of freedom of movement).
- The book was criticized as lying by the city of Monterey.
- It won the California Critics' Prize for Best Home Author's Book of 1935.
- The 1937 dramatization of Jack Kirkland was booed.
- The then enormous price of 90,000 dollars was paid for the film rights.
- The story was in 1942, directed by Victor Fleming with John Garfield , Hedy Lamarr , Frank Morgan , Spencer Tracy and other filmed .
Latest issue
- John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat , Roman (translated by Elisabeth Rotten ), dtv , Munich 1987, ISBN 978-3-423-10764-8 (= dtv literature volume 10764).