The Critique of American Racism in Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley

Abstract

Written in the light of critical discourse about the social value of literary sympathy and against the backdrop of critical whiteness studies, the article deals with John Steinbeck’s non-fiction book Travels with Charley in Search of America. Framed by an interest in how the writer responded to the racial separation in the United States, the article demonstrates that this work, which is often dismissed as a “charming portrayal of America,” is a serious intervention in all sites of discrimination and domination.

Keywords

• American literature
• John Steinbeck
• destabilising whiteness
• cross-cultural relationality