Tortilla Flat Morals

Throughout one’s life, one will most likely face many moral dilemmas. Often these moral dilemmas lead to the same consistent crossroad; does one do the right thing, or does one do what is beneficial to oneself? Giving in to selfish desires can be rewarding, but may also come with a price. In Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck, the protagonist Danny and his ragtag group of friends discover this fact as they are forced to choose between what is morally right, and what is simply convenient for them. The paisanos aren’t the most upstanding of citizens in the small town of Tortilla Flat; therefore, the justification of their selfish actions, the temptation to choose the wrong path, and their fervent alcoholism impairing their judgement all affect their

actions and ability to see right from wrong.
The first and possibly most prominent motif in the novel is justification.

Throughout the novel, many excuses are made by the paisanos to validate their selfish actions. They are fully aware that what they are doing is wrong; however, in order to make themselves feel better, they often find loopholes to justify their wrongdoings. For example, early on in the novel Pilon finds himself in debt to Danny after neglecting to pay him money for rent. As Pilon is on his way to deliver the money to his friend, he has a realization. He knows that both he and Danny love wine, so instead of paying Danny the money directly, Pilon instead uses it to buy wine. Even though Pilon is most likely aware that this is not the right thing to do, he justifies his actions by insisting that hard money does not express his gratitude towards Danny. Therefore, Pilon’s selfish desire for wine is fulfilled, and he does not feel as guilty about what he has done (20). Another notable example of this is when Teresina and her family run out of food. After learning from Jesus Maria that a bad bean harvest had left the Cortez household without food, the paisanos rush to her aid. They began stealing chickens, goats, vegetables, and other foods without a second thought (151). To them, these actions were completely justified. After all, it was okay if they were helping out someone in need, wasn’t

it?
Temptation is another motif that plays a big part in how the characters in Tortilla Flat choose to act. Danny and his friends do not have a very high moral standing, making them very prone to temptation. In most cases, their weakness leads to conflict between themselves and other characters. An example of this includes Danny’s affair with Sweets Ramirez. She tempts him into getting involved with her. As a result, Danny feels compelled to give gifts to Sweets, and even ends up buying her a brand new vacuum cleaner. Sweets plans to take full advantage of Danny’s affections for her, and soon tells everybody that Danny is going to pay for her house to have electricity as well (103). Due to Sweets’ tempting nature, Danny is conflicted; he wants to continue buying things for her despite his fading attraction, while his friends tell him to snap out of it and end the relationship. This conflict could’ve easily been avoided if Danny had not been so easily swayed by Sweets. In addition, Big Joe Portagee also gives in to temptation later on in the novel. After Pirate joins the paisanos and begins living in Danny’s house, Big Joe and the other paisanos cannot help but notice the money bag that Pirate leaves out in the open. They often fantasize about how much wine could be bought with all of the money the bag contains. Eventually, Big Joe is the first one to give in to temptation, stealing from Pirate’s bag in order to buy wine. This causes outrage amongst the group, who attack Big Joe almost as soon as he enters the house (131). Even though Big Joe and Danny are both eventually forgiven by their friends, if they hadn’t given in to their impulses then they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble.
The third motif, one that is without a doubt a trademark of Tortilla Flat, is the dependency on wine that Danny and his friends all share.

During the course of the story, wine plays a more important role than one might think. It is apparent that the paisanos are much too dependent on wine for happiness, as their shared goal is usually to obtain more of it. Although their alcoholism united them and allowed them to bond with one another, it led to far more selfish actions then noble ones. For example, there is an instance where Pilon debates whether or not to steal Big Joe Portagee’s clothes from his body as he slept in an attempt to trade them for wine. Thinking of only his own gain, Pilon decides to steal his friend’s pants, leave him laying on the beach fast asleep, and take the clothing to Torrelli’s to trade for a jug of wine. (Steinbeck 94). The paisanos’ addiction to alcohol not only impaired their moral judgement, but also caused them to take advantage of each other. For example, after Pilon and Big Joe find what seems to be buried treasure, they both agree to give it all to Danny as a token of their gratitude towards him. While they appear to make the right moral decision, they are actually planning on taking some of the wine that Danny would buy with the gold they were going to give him. Steinbeck even mentions how grateful Big Joe is that he has known Danny such a long time, because he “thought that it was possible that Danny might buy a great deal of wine”

(Steinbeck 84). Big Joe clearly only values their friendship for selfish reasons; he knows that he can take advantage of Danny and get access to the wine he is so dependent on.
Just like the paisanos of Tortilla Flat, we are often prone to selfish actions. Danny’s group often sought instant gratification, or the easy way out of many predicaments. Making the right decision in response to a situation is not always the easiest thing to do. While choosing a certain path solely because it will benefit oneself can make sense short term, in the long run it is always best to do what is right. By refusing to justify immoral actions, standing strong against temptation, and not allowing addiction to lead us down the wrong path, we can strive to be better people than Danny and his friends were.