End of Novel Discussion

Transcription

1 Grapes of Wrath

2 End of Novel Discussion What did you think of the novel? Style of writing macroscopic vs. microscopic view; simple, straightforward narrative about the Joads and experimental writing in the intercalary chapters Covers a range of issues transcendentalism, faults of capitalism, exploitation of the weak/poor, ties to the Bible He leaves you with some ambiguous scenes/ending

3 Is the ending of the novel hopeful or despairing? What gives you this impression? Last intercalary chapter (29)? Is there a feeling of closure with the Joad family members? What is happening to the members of the family? Ma: (423) difference between man and woman Ruthie: (422) the animal Rose of Sharon (425) the bush Tom: ( ) Casy learnings

4 Grapes of Wrath Religious Ties

5 Religious References Jim Casy as Jesus Christ Share the same initials Jesus went into the wilderness to find his direction as does Casy when he loses his faith in religion Casy says, I got tired like Him, an I got mixed up like Him, an I went into the wilderness like Him, without no campin stuff.

6 Casy stirs unrest in the view of the establishment and has abandoned the hellfire and brimstone preaching style of his earlier life Similar to Jesus changing from the teaching of the Old Testament to promote a new harmony and sense of brotherhood His disciple can be seen as Tom Joad, who follows him initially, learning from him, till he is ready to take over the message himself

7 Both try to help the weak and poor Last lines are similar, You don know what you re a-doin. (Luke 23:34) Father. Forgive them; for they know not what they do. Jesus and his twelve disciples = Casy and the Joad family (Granpa, Granma, Uncle John, Ma, Pa, Noah, Tom, Rose of Sharon, Connie, Al, Ruthie, and Winfield) Connie could represent the Judas figure who betrays Jesus the night of his arrest when he walks out on his family for selfish reasons

8 More religious references References to the sins of characters especially Uncle John Biblical names John, Noah (113), Rose of Sharon The dialogue/dialect of the various characters constantly use words like, Jesus Christ, Christ Almighty. There are even lines like Jes us (394) when the speaker is saying Just us

9 The title comes from The Battle Hymn of the Republic and is emphasized in the Jeremaid (tale of grief, named after the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah) in chapter 25 In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage. (349) Book of Revelation shows God s wrath in the prophecies of the Apocalypse And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God (Rev. 14:19)

10 Joad family s journey to California is similar to the Israelites journey from Egypt to Canaan Casy s character could also be tied to Moses In the Bible s book of Exodus, Moses guided thousands of people (God s family, the Israelites) out of severe slavery and harsh treatment in Egypt. From there he led them into the promised land of Canann that flowed with milk and honey. Steinbeck could be inferring the Joad family as being the struggling Israelites. Casy acts as a leader who directs the Joads out of famine and hard times during the 30s

11 Steinbeck infers that Casy, who happens to be a preacher, is somewhat a Christ figure to the Joad family When Pa (and Uncle John) needs help and seeks guidance, Casy is who he turns to Implies that Pa (Uncle John) is symbolically a typical Christian who is struggling in a world of sin Famine and horrible conditions of the Great Depression stand for the sin that is surrounding this battling Christian So as a final resort this child of God turns to Jesus Christ for salvation and release from the sin of his life

12 Test Character ID: Casy, Joads, Muley Graves, Wainwrights, Wilsons, Lisabeth Sandry, Wallaces, Floyd Knowles, Jim Rawley Other characters: Black Hat, One-Eyed junkyard man, gas station owner, Al and Mae, Pretty Boy Floyd True/False, Multiple Choice, Quote ID, Quote Significance