26 pages • 52 minutes read
John SteinbeckFlight
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1938A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Pepé
Pepé is the protagonist of the story and a dynamic character, although his change from boy to man is unconventional, developing themes of The Difficulty of Growing Up and Masculinity, Violence, and Personhood. At the beginning of the story, laziness is his primary characteristic. He is never shown working on the farm or providing for the family. The only thing Steinbeck shows Pepé doing before Mama Torres sends him to the store is playing with the knife he inherited from his father. This equips him with the ability to do violence but not with the skills that might have helped him survive the journey he must take after rashly and perhaps inadvertently killing a man.
After this killing, the protagonist’s laziness is replaced with what appears to be manly determination. Steinbeck describes his eyes as “sharp and bright and purposeful” (33), and his face at the beginning of his journey is “stern, relentless, and manly” (39). After he is injured, however, things change. Steinbeck no longer describes Pepé’s face—his most human feature—but instead focuses on his body as a whole and its deterioration. This physical decline coincides with Pepé shedding layers of assumed manhood—his hat, rifle, etc.—and with his behavior reverting to a more animalistic and instinctive state. It is only in the story’s final moments that he becomes the man he formerly imitated, standing up to face his pursuers even though doing so ensures his death.
Mama Torres
Although Mama Torres is the first character introduced by Steinbeck, she is a secondary character. Even so, her will propels the plot for the first few pages as she sends her children, Pepé included, on various errands. Mama’s inner strength and wisdom are conveyed in her description as “a lean, dry woman with ancient eyes” (28). Ironically, in a story that centers on the acquiring of the traditional traits of manhood, she is the character who most embodies these characteristics. Her strength and ability to adapt to circumstances is illustrated in her competent raising of the children and management of the farm after her husband dies. The need to balance the family’s survival with her children’s welfare is illustrated in the revelation that she sometimes keeps Rosy and Emilio out of school to go fishing, but only when tidal conditions are safe and when “the truant officer was in some distant part of Monterey County” (28). While she mourns Pepé’s departure, she remains strong until he leaves, knowing that her loss is essential for his survival.
Emilio and Rosy
Pepé’s younger siblings, Emilio and Rosy, act as foils to the protagonist. They are already active in the efforts to provide for the family even though their elder brother is not. In this way, they are children who act like adults whereas Pepé is a near adult who acts like a child and avoids hard work in favor of play.
Just as youth and maturity are juxtaposed in the character of Pepé, they are also juxtaposed in the characters of his younger siblings. This is exemplified in the scene when the two younger children sit on the cliffs and discuss Pepé’s dramatic departure. Emilio is concerned that Mama will be too upset to make breakfast, failing to recognize that his brother is in serious danger. This short-sightedness epitomizes a child’s limited understanding. Rosy, however, demonstrates more wisdom, understanding the situation without their mother explaining it to her. Rosy knows that Pepé will not return and, in a moment of uncanny foresight, asserts, “He is not dead […] Not yet” (36). Thus, she demonstrates a level of maturity and understanding greater than both of her brothers.
The Avenger
The avenger is the antagonist of the story, even though he is never named or described. Despite the fact that he never appears in the reader’s field of vision, he plays an important role in propelling the plot. He is, in a very literal sense, the pace-setter for Pepé’s flight because when he gets close, Pepé has to pick up the pace.
The avenger also acts as a symbol of the cruelty of man, which is an idea that is highlighted in much of Steinbeck’s writing. The avenger’s pursuit of Pepé, who is still barely more than a boy, is brutal and relentless, lasting for several days. He shows no mercy or pity for Pepé despite the pain he has gone through or his poor condition by the end of the story. He moves toward his goal with no evidence of hesitation or empathy for his prey.
The cruelty of this character, along with the fact that he is utterly invisible to the audience, indicates a lack of humanity. The avenger himself stands as a critique of humanity and its cruelty. Just as the avenger loses his identity to the hunt, so too do humans when we abandon ourselves to our capacity to be cruel to each other.
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By John Steinbeck
