Ji, Mary
8East, Humanities
February 11 2003
The Grapes of Wrath 10
Chapters 1-10
1.What does the setting of the opening scene suggest about the rest of the novel? What does it suggest about family structure?
The setting of the opening scene suggests that the rest of the novel will be describing life in the Dust Bowl and how their will be one person’s perspective of the life and how it affected him. The setting of the opening scene suggests that the rest of the novel will be about how the dust was thick that men and women had to remain in their homes. The opening suggests that the rest of the novel will be about the threatening warnings of the hardship to come. The suggestion the opening gives for the rest of the book is that, the dust storm overpower Oklahoma, clouding the air and blocking out the sun and when the storm ends, it is only the beginning of the hardship for the Oklahoma farmers [Okies]. The setting of the opening scene suggests that the rest of the novel will show a sense of hopelessness. The setting of the opening shows that there seems to be no solution for the farmers, who are submissive to their fate and find themselves puzzled at what they may have to face. The setting of the opening scene suggest that family structure is loose and not tight because no one was home when Joad and the revered went their. It looked abandon to them both so it obviously is stating and giving you a mind picture that Joads home is deserted, so that ‘s why everything surrounding it and around it, is messed up and dirty.
2.Animals play an important symbolic role throughout this novel. What important qualities does the land turtle have as described in Chapter 3?
The land turtle have and processes many important qualities. Such qualities are they could never be kept, because they eventually go on their own. Since the land turtle can never stand still, Casy claim that he doesn’t know where he’s going in life and Tom tells him to lead people even though he doesn’t know where he’s leading them. Just like the land turtle, who don’t know where it’s heading, Casy doesn’t know what good his services is doing and he doesn’t know what responsibility he is putting them in. The land turtle described in this novel is based on the experiences Joad had because expresses his jail time as a time when he was treated like any other person, he described that it was like being free just that you are locked up. They ate regularly, and got clean clothes and bathed. He must have been trying to mention that being in jail wasn’t all that bad as some people say. I guess that the important qualities the land turtle processes describes people in a certain way because it shows that they aren’t really thinking when they are acting because the revered wasn’t thinking about the sins he was making by having sex with many of the girls he Œsaved. The qualities a land turtle processes probably and willingly shoots out a kind of crises because many of the people are just like them and probably that’s what the important role animal’s play, the animals are probably describing humans in a way that doesn’t catch the eyes and probably it’s in the point of view of the land turtle. Seeing humans not taking action on their senses.
3.What opinions does Casy, the former preacher, have about sin and using “bad words”?
Casy the former preacher have many eye points about sin and using bad words, because he doesn’t believe in sins and although he felt tremendously guilty over his actions and he was worried about his responsibilities towards the women he was trying to convert to Jesus, and yet he finally came to the conclusion that maybe that’s just how people were like and that he can’t change the facts. Casy finds the rules and regulations of Christian teachings too confining and not relevant to actual situations people may be in, in their lifetime. He has many sins with the women he converts to Jesus. Casy denies the existence of any virtue or vice, which is like saying that sins are just what people do and bad words are apart of that. He believes that all men and women are the Holy Spirit connected by one common soul. Casy rejects to the idea of Jesus being insubstantial. Although Casy may not actually know Jesus, he does know common people and believes them to be the representation of god.
4.How do the tractors operate? What role does the bank pay? What power do the small farmers have against the banks and the trackers?
The tractors operate by crawling over the ground, cutting the earth. The movement of the tractors over the ground is chaotic and unfriendly. The tractors move randomly over all land, violently slicing the ground with their blades. The tractor driver does his job simply out of need because he has to feed his kids, even if it comes at the expenses of dozens of families. Even if the farmers threaten to kill the driver, it would not stop the bank from getting another driver because the bank is controlled by the east, which is not an effective target which could prevent there exile. The roles the banks play is that they are like destructive forces, that pursues short term profits at the expense of the land, destroying it through cotton production that drains the land of its resources. The behavior of the employees of the bank is understandable because they are controlled by bank operations and they were like slaves to the company that trapped them. The situation the bank poses for the farmers leave them with no option. Powers that the small farmers poses against the banks and the tractors is that they could quit if they wanted to, even though they wouldn’t be able to support their family. The farmers could also murder the president of the bank and the board of directors although that wouldn’t have any affect because the position of where the bank is controlled is not in their grasp. It would be extremely difficult for them to achieve what they are after since the bank is nowhere in their reach. And despite the many consequences that face the farmers, they have to work somehow to feed their families. Farmers aren’t responsible for what they do; they are being controlled by people and companies bigger than they are.
5.Of what importance is Muley in this story? What’s the difference between being the hunter and being the hunted?
Muley is essentially a ghost, living on the outskirts of society and wandering the land, bereft of his wife and children. He demonstrates the dehumanizing quality of the banks' intrusion. He is a man without any impulse for living. Muley’s importance in this story is that he is that Muley tells Tom and Casy that the loss of the farm broke up his family his wife and kids went off to California, while Muley chose to stay. He has been forced to eat wild game. He thinks about how angry he was when he was told he had to get off the land. First he wanted to kill people, but then his family left and Muley was left alone and wandering. He realized that he is used to the place, even if he has to wander the land like a ghost. Tom tells them that he can't go to California, for it would mean breaking parole. The difference between being the hunter and being the hunted is, being the hunter means you’re strong. Nobody can beat a hunter and a hunter don’t think about dangerous things, but when being the hunted, it different. Something happens to you. You aren’t strong; you could be fierce, but you aren’t strong. Being the hunted get you thinking about the dangerous things.
6. Chapters 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 tell the narrative about Tom Joad and his family the way novels usually do. What is the function of the other short chapters (1, 3, 5, etc.)? What does Chapter 7 imply about used-car salesman?
The function of the other short chapters such as 1, 3, 5 explains how life goes for poor farmers. Chapter 1 talks about just life in general because when the Dust Bowl started in California, many of the farmers life practically ended because their crops dried out and sometimes their were locust attacks. Chapter 3 talks mainly about this turtle. This turtle isn’t just an ordinary turtle. This turtle represents something very unique because this turtle is somewhat like a metaphor for poor farmers who get killed by the banks. The banks make them work by growing cotton so that they could get more and more money so they would be richer. That doesn’t leave anything for the poor farmers, who are being slaved. It isn’t actually called slavery though, the only reason the farmers worked was because to pay of the rent. Chapter 5 mainly talks about how the banks affected the farmers. The banks weren’t all that nice with their money so they decided to evict the farmers so they had to find move. This was a difficult time for the farmers because they had no where to go. They also had to bring their belongings because one tractor could destroy the buildings. They were extremely strict with their land. Chapter 7 imply that used-car salesman sell old cars to poor farmers who want to move to California. That’s where they make all their profit from. Used-car salesman didn’t make their money from selling fancy and unused cars, but instead they made money even from the poor trucks they were selling to the poor farmers.
7. What do the faces of the Joad family reveal about them? What are the most important characteristics of Ma and Pa and of the grandparents?
The faces of the Joad family reveal that they are each caring and that they would take in a stranger because they are just kind hearted. In Chapter eight. Ma doesn’t care who she serves because they have left over anyway. The characteristics of the Joad family show that they are caring and would lend a hand to poor farmers and people who happen to wander their way searching for a place to stay and things to eat. They are shown to be exceptionally giving. Ma’s most important characteristics are that she gives to people who are in need and how needs help. She’s caring because even though she didn’t know that, the shadow was her son, she still invited him in to join them. She doesn’t even know if he’s dangerous or not. She’s practically not worried about anything. Pa’s most important characteristics are that he’s hard working, and that he doesn’t quit unless he have to. He doesn’t show fear and he especially doesn’t show fright. He’s seems to be very powerful of himself and he believes in himself. Grandpa’s most important characteristic is that he is a man who doesn’t keep quiet about important things and he’s a man who eats anything in front of his face. Grandma’s most important characteristic is that she seems to be exactly like her husband but she’s also very different because she wants the preacher to say grace when they were about to eat. She seems very concern about the people although the author compares the grandparents to be alike in many ways.
8. How does each member of the family feel about going to California? How does each feel about leaving home? What is young Tom’s philosophy for dealing with the future? What does Ma’s burning of the old stationery box illustrate?
Each member of the family have different and show different feelings towards going to California. Pa and Al seem like they can’t wait to go because they heard of all the great opportunities their have for them. Tom Joads feeling about going to California is that he can’t because of his parole, he can’t leave the state. Grandpa refuses to leave because he probably is scared. I mean even people who are mean have to be afraid once in a while. He didn’t want to leave the place where he was born and raised. Grandma is willingly to go since the rest of the family is going. Ma’s feeling about going to California are like she isn’t sure if she’s making the right decision because she don’t know if the handbills are telling the truth about what they will get once they go to California. She’s just afraid of being lied to. She’s worried that it won’t turn out well because the information they got about California were only from flyers they read. Many of the Joad’s are worried about how they might all end up. Young Tom’s Philosophy of dealing with the future is to take everyday as its last because he compares it with life in prison how he can’t wait to get out and enjoy life to its fullest. Ma’s burning of the old stationery box probably illustrate that she wants to forget the past and look forward to the future. She probably doesn’t want to drag any bad memories in with her new memories. She doesn’t want to remember what had happen in Oklahoma like the Dust Bowl and having no rain, she doesn’t want to remember the painful experience she endeared, while living in Oklahoma.