Travels With Charley

Travels with Charley Final Essay Throughout Travels with Charley, Steinbeck faces many internal conflicts. He overcomes these conflicts by reflecting on his experiences of the past. In John Steinbeck’s Nonfiction book, Travels with Charley, he expresses that he feels the responsibility for the lives of two coyotes that he encounters. During his encounter with the coyotes, Steinbeck has a hard time deciding whether or not to shoot them. While he was thinking about what decision to make, Steinbeck remembered something he was told long ago. On page 214, Steinbeck states, “Then I remembered something I heard long ago that I hope is true. It was unwritten law in China, so my informant told me, that when one man saved another’s life he became responsible for that life to the end of its
Based on his decision, he now places the responsibility of the coyotes’ lives on his shoulders. “Now I had a token responsibility for two live and healthy coyotes,” (Steinbeck 214). After remembering the unwritten law in China, Steinbeck felt he was responsible for the coyotes. The unwritten law in China states that when one man saves another man’s life, he is responsible for that life until the end of its existence. On page 214, Steinbeck writes, “Now I had a token responsibility for two live and healthy coyotes. In the delicate world of relationships, we are tied together for all time. I opened two cans of dog food and left them as a votive.” This quote shows how the unwritten law in China relates to his comment on relationships. These quotes show how Steinbeck feels about his new relationship and responsibility for the coyotes. Throughout his nonfiction book, Travels with Charley, Steinbeck shows to the readers that he feels the responsibility for the coyotes’ lives. He talks about his new relationship and responsibility for the coyotes. This conflict shows what type of person Steinbeck