The Winter of Our Discontent is a full-length novel, however, it is originally based on the author's short story How Mr. Hogan Robbed a Bank. In the novel, Ethan does not rob a bank, but he considers it. He also gains capital and land by abusing the trust of his friends, making him a difficult character to like. The protagonist is motivated entirely by greed, power, and shame, as his ancestors previously possessed a large fortune and even owned the shop that he now works at. Ethan is also motivated by external pressures, as his wife convinces him to try and earn more money so they can enjoy a higher social status.
As such, through Ethan's story, Steinbeck illuminates the social ills of society, where a person's worth is based on their wealth and status. As a result of this social pressure, people become desperate and commit immoral actions as Ethan does in the novel. The overriding message of the novel is that American society has lost moral strength due to materialism and greed, resulting in a society where people trample on one another to succeed. As Steinbeck states at the beginning of the novel, in a message to the reader:
"Readers seeking to identify the fictional people and places here described would do better to inspect their own communities and search their own hearts, for this book is about a large part of America today."
This statement suggests that this story is not about a specific person or a specific location, but is instead a universal message about the ills of American culture and society at the time Steinbeck was writing. He suggests that Ethan is an allegory for American people who are generally good but find themselves caught in a downward spiral, trying to obtain wealth and status.
