愤怒的葡萄论文.docx

愤怒的葡萄论文.docx

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愤怒的葡萄论文

1.Introduction

1.1Theauthor

JohnErnstSteinbeckwasborninSalinas,CaliforniaonFebruary27,1902.Hismother,Olive,nourishedaloveofreadingandwritinginhersonwho,atagefourteen,declaredhisintentiontobecomeawriter.HeattendedStanfordUniversityfrom1919-1925,studyingEnglishliteraturebutneverreceivingadegree.Heworkedwithranchersandmigrants,relationshipswhichclearlyinformhisbodyofwork.AsShillinglawobserves,theserelationshipsledSteinbeck,inhisearliestfictionofthe1930s,to“claimhispeople…commonpeopleshapedbytheenvironmentstheyinhabit”（Shillinglaw363）.WorksofthisperiodincludeThePasturesofHeaven（1932）andToaGodUnknown（1933）.Alongwithhisfirstnovel,CupofGold（1929）,thesenovelsdidnotmeetwithcriticalsuccess.Bycontrast,TortillaFlat（1935）,ahumorouslookatthepeasantsofMonterey,receivedbothcriticalacclaimandpopularsuccess.

Likemany1930sintellectuals,Steinbecksympathizedwithcommunism’sconcernfortheworkingclass（thoughSteinbeckhimselfwasneveracommunist,nordidheapproveoftheSovietsystem’srepressionoftheindividual）.ThisconcernclearlyinfluencesTheGrapesofWrath（1939）,whichwonthe1940PulitzerPrize.Italsometwithcontroversy,however.WhilewidelyregardedasSteinbeck’sfinestwork,itarousedtheangerofOklahomansandCalifornians.Stillothersobjectedtoits“crass”language.

SteinbeckservedasacorrespondentfortheNewYorkHeraldTribuneduringWorldWarII.SomeofhisimportantlaterworksincludeEastofEden（1952）,amodernretellingofthebiblicalstoryofCainandAbel;TheWinterofourDiscontent（1961）,acritiqueofwhatSteinbeckregardedastheoverlymaterialisticAmericanlifestyle;andthetravelogueTravelswithCharley（1962）.HediedinNewYorkCityin1968.

SteinbeckwontheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1962for“hisrealisticaswellasimaginativewritings,distinguishedbyasympathetichumorandakeensocialperception”（Shillinglaw46）.

1.2Thenovel

ThenovelTheGrapesofWrathtellsthespecificstoryoftheJoadfamily,featuringthehardshipandoppressionsufferedbymigrantlaborersduringtheGreatDepression.“ItisSteinbeck’sepicmasterpieceofsocialconsciousnessinitspictureofhelplesspeoplecrushedbydroughtanddepression”（HuandLiu392）.Itisanexplicitlypoliticalstatementthatchampioncollectiveactionbythelowerclassesandchastisecorporateandbankingelitesforshortsightedpoliciesmeanttomaximizeprofitevenwhileforcingfarmersintodestitutionandevenstarvation.

TomJoadwasreleasedfromtheOklahomastatepenitentiarywherehehadservedasentenceforkillingamaninself-defense.Hetraveledhomewardthrougharegionmadebarrenbydroughtandduststorms.OnthewayhemetJimCasyanex-preacher,thepairwenttogethertothehomeofTom’speople.TheyfoundtheJoadplacedeserted.WhileTomandCasywerewonderingwhathadhappened,MuleyGraves,adiehardtenantfarmer,camebyanddisclosedthatallofthefamiliesintheneighborhoodhadgonetoCaliforniaorweregoing.Tom’sfolks,Muleysaid,hadgonetoarelative’splacepreparatorytogoingwest.Muleywastheonlysharecroppertostaybehind.

SpurredbyhandbillsstatingthatagriculturalworkerswerebadlyneededinCalifornia,theJoads,alongwiththousandsofothers,madetheirtortuousway,inawornoutvehicleacrosstheplainstowardthemountains.Grandpadiedofastrokeduringtheirfirstovernightstop.And,toaddtothegeneralmisery,returningmigrantstoldtheJoadsthattherewasnoworktobehadinCalifornia,thatconditionswereevenworsethantheywereinOklahoma.ButthedreamofabountifulWestCoasturgedtheJoadsonward.

However,CircumstanceseventuallyforcedthemtoleavethecampwheretheylivedwhentheyarrivedinCaliforniabecausetherewasnoworkinthedistrict.WhileTomandCasyweretalking,deputies,whohadbeensearchingforCasy,closedinonthem.Thepairfled,butwascaught.Casywaskilled.Tomreceivedacutonhishead,butnotbeforehehadfelledadeputywithanaxhandle.ThefamilyconcealedTomintheirshack.Therateforaboxofpeachesdropped,meanwhile,totwo-and-a-halfcents.Tom’sdangerandthefutilityofpickingpeachesdrovetheJoadsontheirway.TheyhidtheinjuredTomunderthemattressesinthebackofthetruck.

Theautumnrainsbeganandthestreamwhichranbesidethecampoverflowedandwaterenteredtheboxcars.Undertheseallbutimpossibleconditions,RoseofSharon,Tom’ssister,gavebirthtoadeadbaby.Whentherisingwatermadetheirpositionnolongerbearable,thefamilymovedfromthecamponfoot.Therainshadmadetheiroldcaruseless.Theycametoabarn,whichtheysharedwithaboyandhisstarvingfather.RoseofSharon,bereftofherbaby,nourishedthefamishedmanwiththemilkfromherbreasts.Sothepoorkepteachotheraliveinthedepressionyears.

1.3Literaturereview

TheGrapesofWrathisanovelbyJohnSteinbeckthatexposesthedesperateconditionsunderwhichthemigratoryfarmfamiliesofAmericaduringthe1930sliveunder.Thenoveltellsofonefamily’smigrationwesttoCaliforniathroughthegreateconomicdepressionofthe1930s.TheJoadfamilyhadtoabandontheirhomeandtheirlivelihoods.Theyhadtouprootandsetadriftbecausetractorswererapidlyindustrializingtheirfarms.Thebanktookpossessionoftheirlandbecausetheownerscouldnotpayofftheirloan.ThenovelshowshowtheJoadfamilydealswithmovingtoCalifornia.Howtheysurvivethecrueltyofthelandownersthattakeadvantageofthem,theirpovertyandwillingnesstowork.

InthebookInSearchofSteinbecktheauthorAnne-MarieSchmitzdiscussesthatTheGrapesofWrathcombinesSteinbeck’sadorationoftheland,hissimplehatredofcorruptionresultingfrommaterialism（money）andhisabidingfaithinthecommonpeopletoovercomethehostileenvironment.TheauthoralsoanalysesSteinbeck’sLanguage.Easygoingandplainspokenforthemostpart,Steinbeck’slanguageisrichlyevocative.Indeed,hisexampleshowsthesequalitiesarenotatodds,but,infact,related.InSteinbeck’spassagesofdescription,henevergetsboggeddownindetail,neverletstheeyelingertoolong.Inaddition,SteinbeckalsohasaperfectlytunedearfortherhythmsofAmericanspeechandidiom.HerendersthesimplebeautyofAmericandialectssowellthathiswritingsserveasadeclarationoftheirvalue.Hemanagestoavoideverwritingany“throw-away”dialogue,andsometimesachievesthisbyrelyingonthenaturalpowerandbeautyofspeechalone.

InChristianSymbolisminTheGrapesofWrath,theauthorMartinSchockleydescribesthatinSteinbeck’sTheGrapesofWrathoneofthethemesdiscussedistheideaofChristiangoodnessexhibitedintheJoadsandothermigrantworkers.ThoseinthebookrepresentingthistypeofselflesssharingareaChristianconceptofgoodfellowship.Particularly,Mashowshercaringtowardsothersfromthebeginningandurgesotherstodothesame.JimCasy,whilestrugglingwiththeorthodoxviewofChristianity,stilldisplaysageneralconcernforhisfellowman.Repeatedlythefamilyandothersassociatedsacrificecomfortfortherequirementsofothers.Whenpeopleareinneed,asacrificefortheirbehalfmakessocietymorepleasanttoinhabit.

JohnSteinbeck’sFiction:

TheAestheticsoftheRoadTakenbyJohnH.TimmermanexplainsthatSteinbeckdescribestheunrelentingstruggleofthepeoplewhodependonthesoilfortheirlivelihood.Steinbeckusesthejourneyanditsever-changingenvironmenttoputtheJoadsthroughmanysituationsandthejourneyoftheJoadscanbeseenasthesamethatforcedfarmerstobecomemigrantsfromthedustbowlwestwardorofanymassmigrationsincethebeginningoftime.ThroughthiswayTimmermanrevealsthebeautyofman’senduranceandstruggleheseesinTheGrapesofWrath.AlsoheshowsthattheroadwhichtheJoadstookisasymbolofalifejourneyinwhichmanissearchingfortruth.

ThispaperaimstoanalyzethegreatinfluenceoftheGreatDepressiononAmericanfarmersfromdifferentaspectswhichincludetheinfluenceontheirlife,theirconnectionwithland;theinfluenceonthechangesoftheircharactersandtheinfluenceonallkindsofhumanrelationships.

2.TheInfluenceoftheGreatDepressiononRelation

betweenManandNature

2.1Manandland

InthenovelTheGrapesofWrath,theauthorJohnSteinbeckconveystheconnectionpeoplehavewiththeirland,withoutwhichtheyfeeltheycannotsurvivementallyorphysically.Initially,backinOklahoma,eachfamilyfeelsastrongattachmenttothelandbecausetheancestorsofthesefarmersfoughtandclearedtheIndiansoutoftheland,madeitsuitableforfarming,andworkedyearafteryearinthefieldssothateachgenerationwouldbeprovidedfor.Passingdownthelandtosuccessivegenerations,Humanbeingscanbecomeproprietaryabouttheirland.Theybelievethatthelandbelongstothem,andtheybelongtoit.BeforetheJoadsisfinishedpacking,Grandpadecideshedoesnotwanttoleave.Hesays,“Thiscountryain’tnogood,butit’smycountry.No,youallgoahead.I’lljus’stayrightherewhereIb’long”（Steinbeck143）.Grandpaknowsthatitisbetterifhegoes,butheistiedtothelandandcannotbreakhimselffree.Hecannotgoon,neithermentallynorphysically,awayfromthelandwherehefeelshebelongs.JimCasymakesthisobservationafterGrandpa’sdeath.“Hewasfoolin’,allthetime.Ithinkheknowedit.An’Grampadidn’tdietonight.Hediedtheminuteyoutook’imofftheplace…Hewasthatplace,an’heknowedit”（Steinbeck187）.Mentally,GrandpaisdeadbythetimetheJoadfamilycrossest