Down to a Soundless Sea
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Many of the characters in Down to a Soundless Sea are immigrants, from Chow Yong Fat to the dually surnamed Simon Gutierez O’Brian. Discuss the struggles that faced immigrants in the Monterey Coast area of this era. What support systems did it offer them? How does the liberation they found there compare to the hardships that confronted them?
Down to a Soundless Sea opens with the birth of Charles Post and closes with the death of Sue May Yee. Both events occur during great storms. Discuss this circularity. Do you see any other correlations in the way Steinbeck chooses to order the stories of this collection?
What does Down to a Soundless Sea have to say about the regard for learning in the early days of the Monterey Coast? Consider characters like Doc Roberts in “An Unbecoming Grace,” Sing Fat in “Sing Fat and the Imperial Duchess of Woo,” and Professor Gill in “The Dark Watcher.”
Many of the characters of the collection appear in more than one story: the Post family, introduced in “The Night Guide,” reappears in “The Dark Watcher”; the captain “smuggling Chinese ‘illegals’ ” in “Blighted Cargo” references Chow Yong Fat’s experience in “The Imperial Duchess of Woo”; Chapel Lodge chances across Captain Leland after many years in “Blind Luck.” How does this comment on the community of the Monterey Coast at the century’s beginning, especially in a time when travel and communication were more difficult?
The antagonists of Down to a Soundless Sea have all the deliciously vile characteristics of the good villains of oral storytelling. Are there any redeeming qualities to characters such as Simon Gutierez O’Brian in “Blighted Cargo” and the Stoat in “An Unbecoming Grace”?
Water is very significant in this collection set on the Monterey Coast. When is water a negative force in these stories? When is it positive? How is the sea “soundless” in all senses of the word “sound,” connoting stability, measurability, noise, or something free of flaws?
The intimate stories of Down to a Soundless Sea read like stories told by the fireside, stories told in person. Discuss the differences between oral storytelling and the written tale. What are some advantages of the story on the page? What is gained by stories told in person?
A reader comes away from Down to a Soundless Sea feeling connected to its vibrant characters. Although the modern plight is markedly different from that of the newly settled Monterey Coast, how do you feel that your experience is similar to theirs? How are the hardships of modern life different from those of turn-of-the-century California?
This modest volume is dedicated
to Bill and Luci Post
In memory of
William Brainard and Anselma Post
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First I would like to credit Michael Freed, creator of the Post Ranch Inn on the coast of Big Sur, whose love of that country encouraged him to commission this volume of stories. His respect and admiration for the stalwart souls who settled those broken mountains and rugged shores inspired the author to resurrect and reexamine stories he had heard so often from elders or those who knew something of the anecdotes firsthand.
I would also like to lovingly acknowledge the invaluable contributions of my talented partner and wife, Gail. By the time this volume will have gone to press, she will have read and reread these stories a score of times in aid of correction and clarification. Her inspiration, patient good humor, and fine literary sense has kept this project on an even keel throughout adversities and setbacks that often threatened to halt its completion.
For me the most indispensable assistance comes from a forbearing and focused story editor. My guide, in that regard, is Professor Leonard Tourney, a marvelous author of historical mystery tales in his own right. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that I am one of his greatest devotees. It has been a rare privilege to work with someone whose own qualifications create such an inspirational benchmark.
I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to Peter and Patricia Benesh for their efforts in polishing the text. As editors they are true guardians of sentence structure and rational punctuation. I owe them gallons of red ink and a week in Tahiti to recover from the ordeal.
Pertinent research for this volume came from family and local resources, since it was necessary to verify minor details that had been lost in the myriad renditions of stories retold over the years.
There was one particular source that I found most insightful and timely since it edified my lifelong interest in the laboring minorities who first populated California.
Sandy Lydon’s exceptional book Chinese Gold was an indispensable wellspring of history, maps, names, and topical insights that would have been impossible to compile in the time available. I found Mr. Lydon’s history not only meticulously researched, but also illuminating, entertaining, and well written. I look forward to all his future books.
Finally, I would like to thank Elizabeth Winick, my agent at McIntosh & Otis, and Dan Smetanka, my editor at Ballantine Books, for their unwavering faith, support, and hard work.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas Steinbeck began his career in the 1960s as a motion picture cinematographer and photojournalist in Vietnam. Along with his writing, speaking, and producing obligations, Mr. Steinbeck has taught college-level courses in American literature, creative writing, and communication arts. He serves on the board of directors of the Stella Adler Theatre Los Angeles and the National Steinbeck Center. He has written numerous original screenplays and documentaries, as well as adaptations of his father’s work. Thomas Steinbeck lives on the central coast of California with his wife. He is currently at work on his first novel.