The Grapes of Wrath seems to extend beyond a
treatise. It does explore the hardships of the 1930s, but I feel it examines
and illustrates life. There is Jim Casy that is concerned with the human spirit,
and how people affect each other as a whole. He says, “There are just things
people do.” His philosophies reveal how everyone has good and bad things that
they do, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the things people do are always
seen as that by everyone. Ma is an example of what is to be humane. It is
through her acts of kindness to others that displays how helping each other can
provide people with strength, relief, and hope. Tom Joad shows us how good
people can do horrible things.
I feel this book is more of a novel, because it presents the reality of life. It presents the problems that people face, and the different ways that they deal with perplexing times. Every character does not have a certain way of looking at life, and it never assumes that any idea is superior over another. I believe The Grapes of Wrath presents the reader with more than one central idea or subject, and definitely more than one systematic way of dealing with life.
Is there really any systematic dealing with life, though? I feel Steinbeck did a great job of stirring up emotions by showing the inconsistencies of life in general, and in the life of his characters in a very harsh and unsure world.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe there is one. One would have to have control over every outcome, and that just isn't possible. I agree that Steinbeck does a brilliant job at showing how chaotic and unexpected life can be.
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