Travels with Charley Theme of Isolation

In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck hits the road with only his dog for company, so yeah, he gets a lot of alone time (at least, the way he tells it). He seems to want it that way—otherwise, why wouldn't he have invited a human buddy or his wife along?—but the loneliness does get to him from time to time. Of course, he does have Charley—and in fact, he conducts full-length "conversations" with the dog at one point (presumably by filling in Charley's side of the conversation, but who knows?), which is when we start to get a wee bit worried about how much time he's been spending alone. Still, overall he seems to survive pretty well.

He does get to interact with lots of people throughout his journey, which probably helps with the loneliness. However, it sounds like sometimes it was hard for Steinbeck to get people to warm up to a stranger, which might suggest that, for all of the increasing connectedness of Americans (via highways and telecom), Americans were becoming more insular and closed off from each other than before.

1. Scholars and journalists who have studied Steinbeck have said that Steinbeck may have downplayed how often he and his wife were together during his trip. Why do you think he would do that? Why was it important that he emphasize his own isolation?
2. Why do you think Steinbeck wanted to take the trip solo in the first place?
3. How does Charley's presence complicate the whole isolation theme... or not? Is Steinbeck ever really alone, when it comes right  down to it?

Steinbeck emphasizes the isolation factor to play into the whole macho idea of a "man against the world." It makes him look like the "real man" his journalist friend was searching for. Having his wife in tow would have diluted the manly power of his observations, interactions, bravery, or what have you.

Charley's presence, while used as a stand-in for human/human interaction, actually emphasizes just how lonely Steinbeck gets. When he starts having full conversations with Charley, you know that the dude is losing it.