A major theme found in The Winter of Our Discontent is the effect of societal pressure. At the beginning of the novel, Ethan Hawley is unhappy with his job as a grocery store clerk, but it is the complaints from his wife and children about their social and economic status that drive his character to change his beliefs about wealth and power. He is also influenced by close acquaintances who encourage him to accept bribes and speak in ways indicating that money is the most important thing in their lives. For example, Ethan’s banker friend Joey Morphy exemplifies how important money is by saying "your only entrance is money" (144), and “we all bow down to the Great God Currency” (132). This man’s life revolved around money and making more of it. Later in the novel, Ethan plans out a bank robbery and would have acted on it had it not been for a last minute distraction. In the land situation with Danny, Ethan plays the role of the kind friend, but ultimately receives the important piece of land that other men were competing for as well. His greed and lust for power catch up with Ethan at the end of the novel when he realizes his own son plagiarized for the “Why I Love America” contest. But the son's purpose in entering the contest was not to show love for his country, but rather to gain materialistic rewards from it like a watch and trip, in addition to appearing on TV (Chapters 5, 11, 21). Ethan feels guilty for his actions and as a result, becomes suicidal.
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