Analysis of a Passage from The Grapes of Wrath Essay

Depicting the Dust Bowl exodus, The Grapes of Wrath is a literary masterpiece. Development and hierarchy are portrayed. In the passage to be studied, almost at the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad, who has just been released from prison, discovered his abandoned house. Travelling with Casy, a former preacher, they met Muley Graves , one of his former neighbours who refused to leave the country, after people have been tractored off. Hardly the only one to speak, Muley explained how he then lived alone, wandering from one empty house to another. A certain evolution is present throughout the passage that can be compared to a human being?s life. First, birth can be paralleled with a kind of creation. Then, the adult is the one who makes a†¦show more content†¦This land becomes a part of them, of the family, of their lives, and Muley expresses the weighty significance of that place, since he ?went in the room where Joe was born? (l30-1) so as to recollect this arrival. Being at the very place where his child was born means to remember why he decided to live there. He was the person in charge, and for that reason, he had to act for his new-born baby who was frail. Then, children have to discover the world, as it is something new for them. Furthermore, Tom can be compared to a young child. Indeed, he has just been released from prison, thus, he discovers life again. Definitely, he takes pleasure in cooking the meat, and in eating it: ?I think we better eat her now? (l37), ?le?s eat this meat ?fore it?s smaller?n a cooked mouse? (l77-8). As a child, he is only preoccupied by one thing, here it is the meat, and nothing else. This is also noticeable in his discourse. Undeniably, he does not really communicate with the two others: ?Joad turned the meat, and his eyes were inward? (l11). He is self-centred. Therefore, at that step in the novel, he can be associated with a child. Moreover, this kind of selfishness is also obvious in the fact that he is not listening to what is said, or actually, does not seem interested, as if he were not part of the debate. He is not aware of the others yet. When he suggests that they ?better eat [the]Show MoreRelatedEssay on Rhetorical Analysis- the Grapes of Wrath967 Words   |  4 PagesRhetorical Analysis- The Grapes of Wrath â€Å"You don’ know what you’re a-doin’,† were Casy’s last words before he died as a martyr. Casy died for his cause, his belief that the elite were not truly aware of how their greed was causing the suffering of the weak and that the weak could only surpass their sorrows if they worked together. Steinbeck uses chapter 25 of Grapes of Wrath to portray this very message. Steinbeck uses an array of rhetorical devices such as symbolism and the use of a instructiveRead More Damsels in Distress Essay1617 Words   |  7 Pagesdepiction in his novels, The Grapes of Wrath in particular. 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