Wayward Bus - Sexual desires
In Steinbeck’s The Wayward Bus, an assorted group of people, from respected company presidents to erotic dancers, find themselves in a lunchroom all waiting for the same bus that will take them to San Juan de la Cruz. Their presence in the lunchroom and on the bus brings about their sexual desires in an otherwise sexually inhibiting situation. Both the bus and the lunchroom, especially in the 1940’s (about the time that this book was written), are common social places where sexual desires go suppressed, or unseen, but Steinbeck brings to the surface his character’s sexual desires in this potent theme that runs throughout the novel.Juan Chicoy, the main character in the novel, is married to Alice Chicoy, and together they run a shop at “Rebel Corners”, which takes on the roles of: garage, restaurant, and store. In addition to running the garage, aided by the help of his apprentice, “Pimples”, Juan drives a bus from “Rebel Corners” to San Juan de la Cruz. Alice runs the restaurant because Juan is to busy with the bus and the garage, and she is helped by a young employee named Norma. Norma’s sexual desires are illustrated in the beginning of the novel with her obsession over movie star Clark Gable. Norma
In conclusion, Steinbeck uses his character’s desires or lack of desires for sex as a theme throughout the entire novel. As his characters become more bold they act more and more inappropriately. The characters in this novel take everyday social settings like a bus or a diner, where sexual desires go suppressed, and they let their wants lead them in their actions. Their desires evolve, into actions that become, in some cases, violent or even dishonest. Juan, an unhappily married man, decides that once the bus is stuck in the mud, he’s going to go to Mexico and leave his whole life, including his wife, in the past. He leaves the bus of passengers stranded in the mud hole and walks towards his destination but finds himself stopping in at an abandoned house and taking a nap on the hay inside the barn. Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard got into a fight and their daughter, Mildred, leaves the bus and follows Juan’s tracks. She finds Juan in the barn. After talking for a while it becomes apparent that Mildred want’s to engage in intercourse with Juan: “’…I read things. I’m not a virgin. I know thousands of case histories but I can’t make advances…can’t you force me a little?’ His arms stretched out and she fell into place beside him in the straw.”(Steinbeck, p.223). This is an example of Juan’s desire for sex, and it shows how inappropriate Juan was in getting what he wanted. Mildred is 21 and Juan is described to be much older, and in addition Juan
Some topics in this essay:
Camille Pritchard,
Clark Gable,
San Ysidro,
San Juan,
Camille Norma…’Like,
Alice Chicoy,
Wayward Bus,
Cruz Alice,
Norma Norma’s,
Gable” Steinbeck,
sexual desires,
opposite sex,
juan de la,
sexual desires suppressed,
san juan,
juan de,
desires suppressed,
de la,
leaves bus,
stuck mud,
bus stuck mud,
de la cruz,
steinbeck p23,
“pimple’s” opposite,
“pimple’s” opposite sex,
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Approximate Word count = 999
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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