From what I have captured from this book is that life
doesn’t go as planned, and there will be many obstacles in the way, but you
just need to find what makes you happy and work things out. Life moves on one way or the
other. The families struggles show
that as long as you stick with your family and work hard, things will be
okay. Alike the symbol of the
character’s name Rose of Sharon, she is very optimistic and believes everything
will turn out great. Even though
the family experiences tragedy after tragedy, the family continues to do what
is best for it. They are
constantly on the search for a job, or food, or shelter, anything to benefit
and help the family. Many of the
other families in the same struggle are very brutal and harsh to each other, however
the Joad family is very hostile to others, sharing food and shelter, and even
taking along another couple on their journey to California. In the end, the family is still strong
and together from what is left and the book ends with Rose of Sharon yet again
helping out another person and nursing a man to health. I came to understand that this was the
theme of the book since the mood of the entire book is gloomy and always has
some tension until the last scene where after everything bad that has happened,
especially to Rose of Sharon, it ends with a smile on her face. Some of the
methods I learned from Nabakov, Prose, Foster, O’connor, and Perrine were to
read using a dictionary, read word for word, and paying attention to sensory
details. Reading with a dictionary
at hand made a big difference on how I understood the book. Even though I can use context clues and
know a fair amount of the words, have a dictionary changed the book. The little details and understanding
the exact definition and the proper definition can completely change the
meaning of a sentence. Also,
reading word for word changed the reading experience for me as well. Even though this seems pretty straight
forward, most of the time I just read.
But when I read a little slower and make sure I read and understand
everything, whole new ideas can be taken from this. Reading the book word for word also helped extract the
sensory details that I would have not otherwise noticed as well if I hadn’t
been taking the time and focus while I was reading the book. Certain details I would have most
likely just skipped and wouldn’t take in, but the sensory details create a much
more powerful image and got me more engaged in the book and a feel for the
environment which helps to understand the book better. “Two gasoline pumps in front, a screen
door, a long bar, stools, and a foot rail. Near the door three slot machines, showing through the glass
the wealth in nickels three bars will bring. And beside them, the nickel phonograph with records piled up
like pies, ready to swing out to the turntable and play dance music…” This quote was from the beginning of a
chapter giving a setting of what the bars along the highway were like. Most times I would breeze over this
type of information, but these details helped me understand the setting and
what it was like for the people and understanding the characters. When a picture is drawn in my mind, it
pulls me into the book and I make connections. This specific scene reminds me of many old western movies
and what the stereotypical bar on the highway down south would be like. I would recommend this book because this
book was written in a very different and engaging way. There were times that the book was very
slow and hard to read but somehow managed to keep me interested. There was always a struggle somewhere
in the book that made me want to know what was going to happen next. I like books that are realistic where
not everything always works out so you never know what to expect. This adds some suspense and since
everything is realistic, it doesn’t leave the reader upset or questioning
whether something like that could actually happen. The book also brings the reader to the time period and
creates a powerful image of what life during the Great Depression was actually
like. I would give this book a
7/10.
I also read a book by John Steinbeck, so it was interesting for me to get a glimpse at another one of his novels. I read East of Eden, which, like Grapes of Wrath, involves considerable struggle for the characters. I think that the situation in the Grapes of Wrath was much more dire than that of East of Eden, but both sets of characters had hard lives. I also found the religious allusions in the Grapes of Wrath to be interesting, especially because religion is such an important part of East of Eden. Steinbeck must have been a huge fan of Biblical allusion. In East of Eden the main allusion comes from the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel, which are from the Old Testament. If Rose of Sharon is meant to be seen as a Christ figure, that would be from the New Testament. It's interesting that Steinbeck's religious allusions span so much of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI actually wouldn't be surprised if Rose of Sharon was a Christ figure; it would have been a good thing to do a blog post on. She was definitely in a wilderness of sorts in her journey to California, and like Ville said in his fourth post, her family wasn't one to steal food. I'm sure, however, that she was tempted to, her circumstances being so poor. Obviously, there are other factors to be considered in classifying someone as a Christ figure, but it would be a good thing to consider.
I also read a book by John Steinbeck, so it was interesting for me to get a glimpse at another one of his novels. I read East of Eden, which, like Grapes of Wrath, involves considerable struggle for the characters. I think that the situation in the Grapes of Wrath was much more dire than that of East of Eden, but both sets of characters had hard lives. I also found the religious allusions in the Grapes of Wrath to be interesting, especially because religion is such an important part of East of Eden. Steinbeck must have been a huge fan of Biblical allusion. In East of Eden the main allusion comes from the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel, which are from the Old Testament. If Rose of Sharon is meant to be seen as a Christ figure, that would be from the New Testament. It's interesting that Steinbeck's religious allusions span so much of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI actually wouldn't be surprised if Rose of Sharon was a Christ figure; it would have been a good thing to do a blog post on. She was definitely in a wilderness of sorts in her journey to California, and like Ville said in his fourth post, her family wasn't one to steal food. I'm sure, however, that she was tempted to, her circumstances being so poor. Obviously, there are other factors to be considered in classifying someone as a Christ figure, but it would be a good thing to consider.
The Grapes of Wrath sounds like a very interesting book. I have read some Steinbeck and found that it’s a hard read a lot of the time. Steinbeck writes a lot about California and movement westward. Often in his books, this ends in tragedy or in a bad situation, kind of like the way your novel ended, which was more light hearted than some of his other novels like of Mice and Men where people get killed. I would be interested in hearing your opinion on why Steinbeck chooses to set so many of his stories in California (besides the fact that he was born there). Could it be the general feeling of more lawlessness? You mentioned that some of the scenes reminded you of an old western movie and in his other books that I know of, people always seem to be taking matters into their own hands instead of relying on police. Or could Steinbeck be trying to convey an opinion that the promise of the riches is false? And that those who seek success, riches, and happiness by moving to the west will instead get disappointment and sorrow? I just think it is an interesting idea to explore. Your Idea of theme that you need to find what makes you happy and follow it is somewhat parallel to the book that I read, which was 1984 by George Orwell. It is a story about a man in a dystopian futuristic society. He is unhappy until he finds someone he loves and then he only cares about that relationship and spending time with that person regardless of what consequences and repercussions might come of it.
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