Part 2, Peace and Solitude: a Potpourri, Chapters 1-3 Summary and Analysis

In "The Cult of Sex and Anarchy," Miller tells how visitors, both intelligent and boring, interrupt his work. The include a Dutch woman who upbraids him for clearing the septic tank instead of writing and a would-be writer, Ralph, who wants to join the cult of sex and anarchy, which Miller assures him does not exist. Other interesting readers include a tourist who spends hours looking through Miller's watercolors and Harvey, a gifted story teller and expert in literature who suffers writer's block. Writers must get started and create an appreciative audience. People need art as much as they ignore it.

In Chapter 2, Miller sketches various members of "The Anderson Creek Gang," the colony of transient artists at Big Sur. Emil White's shack on the highway is...