Pages: 502 completed
I finished The Grapes of Wrath over the March Break but was away so I didn't have much time to actually blog. So now I'm going to talk about the few last chapters.
Firstly, it surprised me that Tom Joad left since I saw him as the main character. He killed a man for revenge when Jim Casey was killed for leading a strike. I'm not quite sure if the characters who left like Tom and his brother Noah, will ever see each other or the rest of their family again. I have a strange feeling they probably won't see Noah ever again. I also believe they will NEVER see Connie again because he probably won't risk showing his face near the Joad family ever again.
The last chapter was about Rose of Sharon delivering a still born baby and a flood coming.
Floods can also occur in rivers, when the strength of the river is so high it flows out of the river channel, particularly at bends or meanders and causes damage to homes and businesses along such rivers.
This statement about floods is similar to what happens in the novel. Many people moved to California from the East at the same time for better jobs and pay. When they arrived, they 'damaged' businesses by taking jobs from people who lived there and taking homes away from people there who also wanted home.
The still born baby being born has many meanings behind it. Babies are seen as new life, rebirth of one's self and a happy time. They have a chance to see the world differently and not tainted as when you grow older. When Rose of Sharon had the still born baby, it represented to the story how even trying to start fresh and move away to somewhere else, is hard to do. Rebirth is defeated in this case and shows the readers that one can never leave themselves behind. Later when Rose of Sharon is letting the sick man drink some of her milk, she is almost given another chance for rebirth, to start fresh and engage in a new life meaning. It also plays on the extended family theme by reaching out to a stranger and helping them.
The Grapes of Wrath title is interesting and is mentioned in chapter 25, ...and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage. It basically says that people are starving and they will do anything because they are desperate for a good life. The grapes are tearing people up and turning against each other because they want money and a new, clean start in their lives in California.
The Grapes of Wrath was very sad and depressing tale of extended family and the search for rebirth but a good intake of what life was like for people similar to the Joad family. I have started the Great Gatsby and hope to finish it soon. I can see the rebirth theme in that book also.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Setting and Plot
In this book, the setting shadows the plot and suggests moods and foreshadows the plot.
The weather often serves to emphasize and magnify Pip's emotional states, unconscious sentiments, and gut feelings. In the book, they mention heat most of the time and that creates the emotions of aggression, anger, intense tension and many more hot emotions. When I looked up heat wave, it stated A heat storm is a Californian term for an extended heat wave. The first thing I think of is how the whole theme of the book is extended family and taking anyone under your wing to help.
A period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and usually humid weather. This line for me makes me think of the whole family traveling uncomfortably in the humid weather to California and how it is a strange time for all the family members leaving their home state. In the summer in warm climates, an area of high pressure with little or no rain or clouds, the air and ground easily heats to excess. The heat is the tension with the family and the driving factor to move to California and the water represents new birth which they do not have in the heat wave in their home state. To survive, they need to find a new life in California but Steinbeck is also foreshadowing that when they arrive in California, it will be not what they expect. Even when I looked up heat wave, it stated that California is a very hot place where many heat storms and droughts occur. I believe that when they arrive in California is will be hot and intense within the family and out with others. I also believe someone else will die in the end. Heat waves and heat storms lead to wildfires that occur very often in droughts which is foreshadowing for the plot.
The grapes in California represent new birth and growth to all families. It also represents conscience is an ability or a faculty that distinguishes whether one's actions are right or wrong. This works very well if the plot and characters in the story. Most of the characters have done something they believe is morally wrong, such as the preacher who slept with young girls in the fields. He knew it was wrong with his conscience and therefore stopped preaching. I believe that California to all the characters represent new birth, growth and power. California is derived from the Black Amazons and ruled by a Queen Califia. She was said to be powerful, who accomplished great deeds, she was valiant and courageous and ardent with a brave heart, and had ambitions to execute nobler actions than had been performed by any other ruler – Queen Califia. This queen represents what the people who travel to California are like in the story; ambitious, brave heart, courageous and valiant.
The title I believe represents the wrath of hunger and thirst for something better, something worth living for. The wrath is humanity and the grapes are something humans crave and desire. The grapes wrap around themselves and grow while we destroy them with pollution, greediness, and anger.
I am looking forward to see what happens next!
The weather often serves to emphasize and magnify Pip's emotional states, unconscious sentiments, and gut feelings. In the book, they mention heat most of the time and that creates the emotions of aggression, anger, intense tension and many more hot emotions. When I looked up heat wave, it stated A heat storm is a Californian term for an extended heat wave. The first thing I think of is how the whole theme of the book is extended family and taking anyone under your wing to help.
A period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and usually humid weather. This line for me makes me think of the whole family traveling uncomfortably in the humid weather to California and how it is a strange time for all the family members leaving their home state. In the summer in warm climates, an area of high pressure with little or no rain or clouds, the air and ground easily heats to excess. The heat is the tension with the family and the driving factor to move to California and the water represents new birth which they do not have in the heat wave in their home state. To survive, they need to find a new life in California but Steinbeck is also foreshadowing that when they arrive in California, it will be not what they expect. Even when I looked up heat wave, it stated that California is a very hot place where many heat storms and droughts occur. I believe that when they arrive in California is will be hot and intense within the family and out with others. I also believe someone else will die in the end. Heat waves and heat storms lead to wildfires that occur very often in droughts which is foreshadowing for the plot.
The grapes in California represent new birth and growth to all families. It also represents conscience is an ability or a faculty that distinguishes whether one's actions are right or wrong. This works very well if the plot and characters in the story. Most of the characters have done something they believe is morally wrong, such as the preacher who slept with young girls in the fields. He knew it was wrong with his conscience and therefore stopped preaching. I believe that California to all the characters represent new birth, growth and power. California is derived from the Black Amazons and ruled by a Queen Califia. She was said to be powerful, who accomplished great deeds, she was valiant and courageous and ardent with a brave heart, and had ambitions to execute nobler actions than had been performed by any other ruler – Queen Califia. This queen represents what the people who travel to California are like in the story; ambitious, brave heart, courageous and valiant.
The title I believe represents the wrath of hunger and thirst for something better, something worth living for. The wrath is humanity and the grapes are something humans crave and desire. The grapes wrap around themselves and grow while we destroy them with pollution, greediness, and anger.
I am looking forward to see what happens next!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Characters and Chapters
I have read 302 pages now and hope to read to four hundred by tomorrow.
I have been reading constantly for the last few weeks, a few pages a night here and there. I've just haven't pushed myself to actually blog more frequently about what I've been reading. So, I made a plan to blog about some parts in this post and then later on today I'll make a few more posts about the rest of what I've read.
So let's begin. Grapes of Wrath is a very interesting book. It can be slow at times, such as when they have paragraphs of just dialogue and ramble basically to themselves about how they feel or their life stories. I find this really unrealistic but it does help the reader understand more about certain characters.
I find it really actually interesting with the smaller chapters of description in -between. Sometimes it can be dry but it gives another view of the time period with people driving in tractors to tear down houses, and I find it very fascinating that in the story they compare what California did to the Mexicans that inhabited the land with the Roman Empire and calling them slaves imprisoned. Steinbeck makes connections very often to past events which I find interesting and exciting since I love history. At first, I have to admit, I found the short chapters, boring and a waste of space but as I read further on, I saw how much the chapters did for the rest of the story. It presented a whole new side of the tale and introduced more of what was occurring at that time.
The characters are all very different and unique. I especially love the preacher because I've never really seen a character like him in a story. It works so well and brings in another side of religion and life.
I also like Pa's background about how he feels it was his fault for Noah, his elder son, to turn out the way he did. On the night of Noah's birth, the doctor had not arrived, so Pa had to deliver the baby. He pulled and twisted the baby, the head twisted out of shape, its neck stretched, and its body warped. Even though the midwife molded the head back, Pa still remembered it was his fault for Noah turning out the way he did.
Also, Uncle was an interesting, quiet character who I liked. He had lived with his wife and one night she said her stomach hurt but he told her it was just an ached and she left it at that. She died that afternoon in her own house and he had never forgiven himself for it. He is mentioned to be extra nice to the children trying to make up somehow for his sins and is mentioned to have a drinking problem and has no alcohol in the house.
Al is another favourite of mine for just personal reasons. He is sometimes the comic relief in a sense. For example, when Connie says Al can work for him in the store, Al fights back saying, 'you can work for me buddy'. He seems like he looks up to Tom a lot and even shares his smart alec trait.
The other characters haven't been mentioned too much other than Connie and Rose of Sharon who talk about their plans of getting a nice house and Connie working at a store and taking night classes.
So, that's it for this blog and next one I'll continue on about the plot and setting.
I have been reading constantly for the last few weeks, a few pages a night here and there. I've just haven't pushed myself to actually blog more frequently about what I've been reading. So, I made a plan to blog about some parts in this post and then later on today I'll make a few more posts about the rest of what I've read.
So let's begin. Grapes of Wrath is a very interesting book. It can be slow at times, such as when they have paragraphs of just dialogue and ramble basically to themselves about how they feel or their life stories. I find this really unrealistic but it does help the reader understand more about certain characters.
I find it really actually interesting with the smaller chapters of description in -between. Sometimes it can be dry but it gives another view of the time period with people driving in tractors to tear down houses, and I find it very fascinating that in the story they compare what California did to the Mexicans that inhabited the land with the Roman Empire and calling them slaves imprisoned. Steinbeck makes connections very often to past events which I find interesting and exciting since I love history. At first, I have to admit, I found the short chapters, boring and a waste of space but as I read further on, I saw how much the chapters did for the rest of the story. It presented a whole new side of the tale and introduced more of what was occurring at that time.
The characters are all very different and unique. I especially love the preacher because I've never really seen a character like him in a story. It works so well and brings in another side of religion and life.
I also like Pa's background about how he feels it was his fault for Noah, his elder son, to turn out the way he did. On the night of Noah's birth, the doctor had not arrived, so Pa had to deliver the baby. He pulled and twisted the baby, the head twisted out of shape, its neck stretched, and its body warped. Even though the midwife molded the head back, Pa still remembered it was his fault for Noah turning out the way he did.
Also, Uncle was an interesting, quiet character who I liked. He had lived with his wife and one night she said her stomach hurt but he told her it was just an ached and she left it at that. She died that afternoon in her own house and he had never forgiven himself for it. He is mentioned to be extra nice to the children trying to make up somehow for his sins and is mentioned to have a drinking problem and has no alcohol in the house.
Al is another favourite of mine for just personal reasons. He is sometimes the comic relief in a sense. For example, when Connie says Al can work for him in the store, Al fights back saying, 'you can work for me buddy'. He seems like he looks up to Tom a lot and even shares his smart alec trait.
The other characters haven't been mentioned too much other than Connie and Rose of Sharon who talk about their plans of getting a nice house and Connie working at a store and taking night classes.
So, that's it for this blog and next one I'll continue on about the plot and setting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
