Liar!

Even though we know that Steinbeck lied about everything, I am going to chose to forget that small detail. I really want to believe that Steinbeck ran out in the middle of a hurricane to save his boat. I also want to believe that Charley was with Steinbeck for the whole trip. Charley was by far my favorite character in the book. The parts that I enjoyed the most were the ones when the man and the dog were having conversations. Maybe I was enthralled by how smart Charley is, as compared to my dog who is very dumb.
I mean, who cares if Steinbeck did not really take the trip. It is still a great book. And, if you think about it, it's not entirely made up. He did, after all, meet the people in the book once during his lifetime. Lets give the guy a break. He was falling behind, getting forgotten, and he just wanted one last hurrah. Just enjoy the book.