The Murder by John Steinbeck

A detailed Summary of The Murder by John Steinbeck

"The Murder" by John Steinbeck is a classic look at life in the rural United

States in the early nineteenth century. This story is a tale of a man and his wife from a foreign

country, and the differences of their cultures. Irony is very prominent in this story, and it helps to

illustrate a very poignant point on the anti-feminism during the time of the story. At this time,

spousal abuse was not uncommon, and was pretty much standard practice. However, "The

Murder" is neither pro-feminist or anti-feminist.

This story is not written with a bias, yet it is a commentary on the socialism of

the time, and allows the reader to be the judge of whether it is right or wrong. Jelka and Jim are

from two completely different cultures, this is evident in their behavior and attitudes. Jim is

social, while Jelka is under the impression that women's job is to be a slave to her husba

control over these forces, and the marriage suffers from it. "He realized before long that he could

that this marriage was ill-fated from the very beginning. These two people are from very different

she too, is having an affair, this is an example of irony. When Jim discovers his wife in bed with

reach." (page 4, "The Murder", Steinbeck). Jim wants a wife he can talk to, but Jelka thinks she

cultures, and both have different ideas of how husbands and wives should act. They have no

they could make little connection. In the end, however, they put it behind them. They move out

However, This is not an anti-feminist story. Throughout the story Jim condemns the anti-

Approximate Word count = 606
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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