California Stories
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Stories of California
Wallace Stegner's assertion that "The country is a very prominent actor in most Western writing" is supported by nearly all of the California literature we have read thus far. However, the ways in which each of the authors pays tribute to (or, in some cases, criticize) the country are very diverse. Some of the authors, such as Frank Norris, see the country as a powerful force guiding the lives of the characters. Other writers, namely Ina Coolbrith, see the country through rose-colored glasses, focusing on the beauty and intricate details of the land. A third group of authors, including Robert Hass, evaluate the country with a much more critical eye.
In The Octopus, Frank Norris tells the story of a group of farmers whose lives are dependent upon the land on which they live. The wheat farmers in the story, led by Buck Annixter and Magnus Derrick, are willing to risk everything they have, including their dignity and even their own lives, to sustain their crops and ensure their success. Faced with the prospect of losing their lands to the railroads, the farmers panic. One of the farmers in the league speaks for the whole group when he declares, "Think I am going to give in to this? Think I am going to get off my land?..