Reading Reflection the Grapes of Wrath
Reading Reflection
The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s portrayal of the social aspect of the Great Depression that also gives his philosophical belief on Humanism. His story is of the people and for the people. He shows the love and compassion people are capable of during hard times. Unlike The Fountain Head more than one character in the book represents the author’s beliefs, and the characters aren’t so single sided. Reverend Casey and Ma Joad and family, are the embodiment of Steinbeck’s ideas that during that time everyone has to help each other in order to survive. They help other people every chance they get. Casey says to Joad and Muley(insignificant character), “I gotta see them folks that’s gone out on the road […] They gonna need help. They gotta live before they can afford to die.” Casey is driven to lift every ones spirits in order to improve on the collective of mankind. Casey’s thought that everyone’s spirit is connected and that we thrive off each other is called the Emersonian Concept of the Over Soul, wherein we are all one huge entity of the soul, good, and bad. This idea denotes the possibility of God yet is still a spiritual type of belief which is. There is no individual sin or virtue but what people do and don’t do. Jim Casey had another good quote “Fella gets use' to a place, it's hard to go," said Casy. "Fella gets use' to a way of thinkin' it's hard to leave." Its amazing thinking about the sheer numbers of people who were homeless then. I can only imagine losing my home like that and roughing it out in the elements, going to bed hungry, worrying about taking care of my family. This book helped me understand the magnitude of the situation more clearly. Jumping to the ending. The ending of the book was a big rollercoaster ride. It was strangely beautiful. Weird as an old man suckling a woman is, it’s a victory of the human spirit after such a horrible depressing series of events. | |
The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s portrayal of the social aspect of the Great Depression that also gives his philosophical belief on Humanism. His story is of the people and for the people. He shows the love and compassion people are capable of during hard times. Unlike The Fountain Head more than one character in the book represents the author’s beliefs, and the characters aren’t so single sided. Reverend Casey and Ma Joad and family, are the embodiment of Steinbeck’s ideas that during that time everyone has to help each other in order to survive. They help other people every chance they get. Casey says to Joad and Muley(insignificant character), “I gotta see them folks that’s gone out on the road […] They gonna need help. They gotta live before they can afford to die.” Casey is driven to lift every ones spirits in order to improve on the collective of mankind. Casey’s thought that everyone’s spirit is connected and that we thrive off each other is called the Emersonian Concept of the Over Soul, wherein we are all one huge entity of the soul, good, and bad. This idea denotes the possibility of God yet is still a spiritual type of belief which is. There is no individual sin or virtue but what people do and don’t do. Jim Casey had another good quote “Fella gets use' to a place, it's hard to go," said Casy. "Fella gets use' to a way of thinkin' it's hard to leave." Its amazing thinking about the sheer numbers of people who were homeless then. I can only imagine losing my home like that and roughing it out in the elements, going to bed hungry, worrying about taking care of my family. This book helped me understand the magnitude of the situation more clearly. Jumping to the ending. The ending of the book was a big rollercoaster ride. It was strangely beautiful. Weird as an old man suckling a woman is, it’s a victory of the human spirit after such a horrible depressing series of events. | |