Chapters 27-30

                This is the one time that I have no idea how to respond. It is a shame that this is the last blog post. There must be a key analysis that I’m missing because a lot of amazing things happened in the last chapters. The blog question could have been about anything but it just happens to be this dialogue that made no sense to me. It’s obvious that Tom admired Casy a lot. He believes in the same beliefs and he wants to organize workers for the greater good of the people. What I am not sure is what he means by his talks of the afterlife. My theory behind it is that he is simply strengthening Casy’s ideas behind mankind being holy as a whole. Tom knows what is right and his character is always reassuring the idea behind strength in community. This is why he admired Casy so much. Perhaps Tom is also saying that he would not regret dying if he died trying. Perhaps he is implying that his death would still be a stepping stone to retribution regardless of whether or not he succeeded in his goals. He could mean a lot of things. I even checked the analysis notes on Sparknotes. It didn’t seem to help a whole lot. I also think Tom does not view life in a poor versus rich attitude. My reason for this thinking brings me all the way back to Chapter 2 when Tom was picked up by that trucker. The conversation they had clearly shows that Tom has an understanding of ethics. He sees life more in a misfortunes versus the corrupt rich attitude. 

Chapters 21-26

                 This blog post ties very nicely into the previous blog post because they share themes. Casy’s story is another example of strength in numbers. He tells Tom a story about prison life where the men received beans that were spoiled and no longer edible. One man started shouting and the rest joined in and the guards eventually gave in and the men received edible food. Casy knows that need for life trumps everything especially when hope and material wealth are at an all time low.

                Demonstrations of strength in numbers have become more frequent in these last chapters. Farmers have unionized and their methods have gotten more complex. Now the corrupt police force and large-business farmers feel more threatened. The moral standards are becoming increasingly low. The police would not have resorted to wrongfully killing Casy if it was not for the fact that unions were beginning to scare them. The numbers of the homeless are growing and they are getting stronger. They are learning how to fight their fate.

                We can understand what Casy has to say but Tom is not getting the big picture yet and I am not sure if I understand why. He travels with his mother who seems to always have hope. She grasps the idea of togetherness quite well and I guess it just has not connected with Tom yet. I predict it will soon because Ma Joad demonstrates her understanding of strength yet again when she does not let him leave after he kills a police officer. 

Chapters 17-20

                Ma Joad is living with her family in a Hooverville where she people who have lost everything surround her. It would seem that all hope is gone and, yet, they have built the Hooverville in which they live. Ma Joad understands that these actions from the misfortunate people who have not given up. People sometimes lose hope and give up. They may run off like Noah. Regardless, this does not hurt the numbers because people still come and join the fight.

                It is also understood by Ma Joad that everyone has a better chance if they stick together. In every scene where someone wants to be left behind, Ma Joad is always the first to protest. She does not want anyone to leave the group. This is why she gives her left over stew to the children. She does not even know these children but she does know that starvation will lead to a loss of hope. She wants these kids to continue the fight for survival.

                With strength in numbers, confidence, and hope Ma Joad is certain that an end to the poverty will be found. This is why she says ‘They ain’t gonna wipe us out’. Many people are dying of starvation; enough that it may seem like an extermination, but they will eventually prevail. It is just a matter of time and strength. She wants the rest of her family to understand that they are part of this fight and they are part of the group that cannot be beat. The only thing have to do is keep trying like they have been even if hope appears certain to run out.

Chapters 14-16

                The ideas expressed in chapter 14 revolve around the idea of unions. I believe that two considerations are being discussed within the chapter. One consideration is the possibility of revolt. The nervousness that these areas feel from the change does not just stem from the effects of the dust bowl. Many western cities fear the possibility of a revolt. All of these dislocated farmers are coming together and they are growing in numbers. Though they are weak, their size increasing and they are joining together. It is like a union. The assembly has become so large that western cities worry that they may take advantage of their numbers and stage a revolt.

                This is only a brief idea in the chapter. The stronger consideration in the chapter involves the weak beginning to understand each other. As their numbers grow, many realize that the ‘I’ is not as important as the ‘we’. This results in even larger groups and settlements. They share, colonize, and socialize. One piece of evidence in the chapter is illustrated by a narrator who gives away the blanket that used to belong to his mother to a baby that is sick with a cold.

                Unison is a key idea in the next two chapters. In chapter 15: “Al said snarlingly, ‘Goddamn it, Mai. Give ‘em the loaf.’ The man turned toward Al. ‘No, we want ta buy ten cents’ worth of it. We got it figgered awful close, mister, to get to California.” Mae said resignedly, ‘You can have this for ten cents.’” Al and Mae understand what this family is going through. It is showing that people can unionize for even a brief moment of passing.

                This idea is again expressed in chapter 16: “Wilson said, ‘Seems like it’s my fault. This here goddamn wreck’s give me trouble right along. You folks been nice to us. Now you jus’ pack up an’ get along. Me an’ Sairy’ll stay, an’ we’ll figger some way. We don’t aim tot put you folks out none.’ Pa said slowly, ‘We aint a-gonna do it. No, sir. We got almost a kin bond. Grampa, he did in your tent.”’ Pa recognizes this union, or bond as he calls it, and even considers it to be on the same level as kinship. 

Chapters 7-13

                All I have been thinking about since I started the book are the intercalary chapters. I’m sure other books use them too but this is the first time I’ve read a book with them. I think they are one of the most creative literary tools I’ve ever seen. The rest of the book would seem a little dry without them. I also find it interesting how the book’s status has changed. We are now reading it as a required piece in English class. Upon its original release, everyone hated it. It was banned and burned in town’s because most people were in denial about how terrible America really was at the time. America didn’t want a terrible depiction that was as accurate as The Grapes of Wrath and the book was even theorized to be part of a communist conspiracy. That’s how much the book was hated. Eventually, Eleanor Roosevelt supported John Steinbeck and basically told everyone to shut the hell up and calm down. In the end, Steinbeck was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature. That just goes to show the accuracy of the tales within the book. However, the accuracy is not enough to make me really enjoy the book. The intercalary chapters hold the true draw for me. I had researched the book before reading it and that’s how I learned about how terribly it was received. I never would have guessed if it wasn’t for that fact that I accidently stumbled upon an article that explained why the book was considered so terrible at the time of release.

                I am appreciating Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck because it has a literary tool that I had not seen before. An example if what I mean comes from chapter 3, known as an intercalary chapter, beginning on page 14. “Over the grass at the roadside a land turtle crawled, turning aside for nothing, dragging his high-domed shell over the grass.” I think this is relevant because it helps tell the story and the stories are in the same universe as the rest of the chapters and there is evidence that shows this like how chapter 4 begins with the main character picking up a turtle from the road. So far, the themes in The Grapes of Wrath remind me of something important in my life. We studied the Great Depression in history class but this book was only an honorable mention. I think it should have been part of the study. We would not have had to read the whole book but at least some selections to help depict what the Great Depression and dust bowl was really like.

                I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book because I feel like the intercalary chapters are going to have a final conclusion. I’m sure it will be satisfying. What’s probably going to happen next is the format will continue and chapters will alternate. They will all stay in the same universe and everything will be wrapped up in the end. 

Chapters 3-6

The banks are just doing their job. In a time like this, businesses would have to cut cost and the easiest cost to cut is labor. The landowners work with the banks and they realize that tenant farming is not earning a lot of profit. The impact on the farmers, as discussed in the conversations during dinner with Casey, Tom, and Muley, is realistic. Farmers may not fight the banks but it would make sense that they at least plead. None of them are lying by saying that they have no place to go. California may sound promising but how can they know if the banks are being truthful? Transportation to the state may not be possible for many because the tenant farm was their occupation. They would not need a car to travel from work to their house. It is all just unfortunate. The land owners, in many cases, do not see much of a monetary gain from cutting these labor costs, anyway. However, they do have to look out for the own. The labor cuts are necessary and I understand. I think those who lose their houses also understand, at least partially, because they do not fight the banks.

Chapters 1-2 Response

I don’t truly believe Tom was just trying to persuade the man into letting him ride into his car. I think that what he was saying was a real belief and he felt that this man had some kindness in him. Having a prowess in persuading also comes from how you speak but I feel like the truck-driver had a change in heart just by the words. Perhaps Tom was really playing off of hate for the wealthy. It is easy for the poor to hate the wealthy in a time like this so the chances that this truck driver had some animosity toward the wealthy were high. It is also a possibility that Tom was using a sympathy card. Tom’s personality has led me to believe that he is not like that. I may only have one chapter’s worth of dialogue to gather characteristics from him but I feel like he’s an honest guy. Maybe he’s just that persuasive and has even gotten to me as well. The driver’s reasoning behind breaking the rule is also legitimate. He is put in a pickle that telling a simple white lie to his boss can get him out of. It’s the obvious choice. Tom did not need to call the man who put the stick in place a bastard. That is the aforementioned animosity talking. The wealthy are going to need to put extra measures in place to ensure the safety of their business. Something bad actually could happen from picking up a hitch-hiker.