WOW! "The Grapes of Wrath" surprised me more than i ever thought it would. The book reminded me that life can be very unfair and tough, at least more than I thought it was. But more than that, it enlightened my "third eye" in showing me that hope, faith, and family matter more than a piece of bread.
First things first, this book did not seem like a fun read. I meen lets be real, the first chapter was talking about the red and gray country of Oklahoma - BORING! But once the pages of chapter two came rolling in and Tom Joad was introduced, the book started its engine. I think it was very nicely written with subtle dialects, unlike Huck Finn with whole words spelled differently. And also, the way the characters of the book were slowly written onto the page was a smooth transition (starting with Tom, and then before you realize it you have a whole family in one car!)
There was one constant on how the book was written: almost every other chapter had a side story that tied into the main story with Tom. Chapter three was about a random turtle at first. But later on I realized that the turtle was symbolic in a way. Let me explain, the turtle never stops moving. Sure, there are obstacles it faces, but it still never stops moving forward. The family is like that little turtle: no matter what impossible challenge meets them, nor big truck that tries to hit them off the road, they always keep moving forward. It comes down to this in life, it is never the end of the road, and the day we stop moving is the day we start dying.
Another big impact to me in this novel was death. Wow, death was like a spreading infection from the beginging to the end. It started with the dying land and then moved on to the family. The dog was hit hard by a moving car; the grandpa had a very vivid stroke; the grandma eventually just died; the ex-preacher, Casy, was hit in the head and died from his crushed skull; and the baby that readers have been waiting through the whole book was stillborn. But despite death, most of the family stuck together the best they could.
Faith. When a journey comes down to life or death, faith is all you have. "The Grapes of Wrath" came down to that very thin line very quickly and remained there till the very last page. This had to be the key thing that kept me intrested in this book. Driving to California, they could only hope for it to be a good land. Faith. Sometimes you just have to believe.
This novel, like I said, surprised me. I only wish I had more time to just read it and appreciate it more than I already have. The end of the book seemed to not end on a good note, but it ended on a hopeful one. Rains have come; the floods washed away their past lives for the hope of something better. Tom has finally matured into what I belive is his destiny. So has Rose of Sharon. I will end my blog with a quote from the leader of the family, who ultimately kept the family from completely falling apart, Ma Joad. "It's too much -- livin' too many lives. Up ahead they's a thousan' lives we might live, but when it comes, it'll on'ybe one." pg 134
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I love how you write Jordan its very insightful and deep. I think it was interesting how you took from the book the lesson of faith and belief. When you stated that hope, faith, and family matter more than a piece of bread I realized that it was a general theme of the book. I didnt recongnize it before. I agreed with your opinion about the symbolism of the turtle. I also agree this was a pretty decent book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, saying family was one of the general themes of the book. Also I really did like the chapter about the turtle, it really did symbolize a bigger picture. Although I disagree with you saying that the first chapter was boring, it was really important and painted a picture.
ReplyDeleteI liked the first chapter too. I thought it was very important, and it contained a lot of background and foreshadowing. But you make a good point with the turtle's symbolism. I just thought it was just an interesting perspective when I first read it. But once you consider it's deeper meaning, you can see how much it portrays the Joad family's journey, and every life journey in general. And the whole death aspect of The Grapes of Wrath only added to the book's depressing mood. It was sad just reading about all the deaths, stillbirths, malnourished children; and what's worse still, was that it was all a real thing. I agree that this was a very enlightning book, giving a person new thought on life, family, and hope in a dark time (and the value of bread:). By the way, you do have a nice style of writing.
ReplyDeleteYay! I am so glad this book WOWed you. It is full of symbolism that is very important to the plot and themes of the novel. It is a cleansing story once you finish reading it because it does make you realize what is most important in life. I think you will find this a stark contrast with Gatsby; however, keep in mind this book takes place 10-15 years after Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteExcellent Post!