论文部分内容阅读
【Abstract】The Grapes of Wrath is John Steinbeck’s masterpiece. The paper aims to analyze its themes and writing skills. Readers can know not only the social background and the affairs of human life but the collective consciousness’s influence. The paper emphasizes the usage of symbolization and the allusion from Bible, readers can aware the novel’s deep meanings and the symbolization’s great significance to the novel.
【Key Words】Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath. Themes. Writing skills
１.Introduction
John Steinbeck is the most important writer during the period of Great Depression in American literature in the 1930s. The Grapes of Wrath has particular significance in the 20th century. It is the historical record of American social history in the 1930s and reoccurs the bankrupt farmers’ miserable experience on their way to California. In short, the book is authentic and attracts people’s attention. Steinbeck perhaps has best expressed how he changed social facts into art in the novel and reveal the universal truths.
２.The analysis of The Grapes of Wrath
Collective consciousness is one of the positive themes in the novel. The Joads’ mother is the most important character in the novel. Her act indicates her social awareness and understanding for little people to gain power and security. Under the direction of the realization, when they themselves are in difficulty she not only cares her “nuclear family”, but cares the “extended family” the whole laboring strata. Tom’s changes are most attractive. After experiencing miserable difficulties and unfair treatment and Casy’s death, Tom realizes union is strength. His belief “two are better than one” urges him to put the collective consciousness into action and he has been a real warrior to fight for the poor and social betterment. Jim Casy is the novel’s guiding moral voice. And Casy plays a vital role in the transformation of Tom into a social activist. He thinks only the actions in collective behavior are holy and realizes the masses’ great power, he even devotes himself to the workers movement.
3．The writing skills
The symbolizations are used vividly in the novel. First, dust emphasizes one of the themes—the clash between survival and human dignity. Steinbeck always connects dust with what is dead. It symbolizes the settling fortunes of the Joads in destructive attack. Second, examining the adventure of turtle who suffers many frustrations. We can see the turtle strives for living and never yields to difficulties. It is the symbol of migrants moving toward the west. Third, it is about Biblical symbolism. The title is from Old Testament. In Bible grapes symbol richness and hope. So the bankrupt farmers of Oklahoma take grapes as the symbol of happy life and the “grapes” give them courage and hope to defeat all difficulties. The “grapes” in the novel has been the symbol of painful wrath. The 12 people in the Joads and Casy that is 13. It reminds readers of Jesus and his 12 disciples. Jim Casy’s initials (J. C.) are the same as Jesus Christ. So we can say Casy is the Christ-figure prophet. Another is Rosasharn whose name means “Rose of Sharon” in Bible. She is selfish and can’t match her beautiful name. But when she gives her breast milk to a strange man, we can see Rosasharn’s changes symbolize Christian spiritual rebirth.
4. Conclusion
In a word, the theme and writing characteristics make The Grapes of Wrath an American epic. The usage of symbolization makes the book have deeper connotation and helps to unify the themes of the novel. In the novel, it seems that people can hear the call of that time: All working people must unite rally in order to improve the living situation and change the unfair social system.
【Works Cited】
［１］Charlotte Alexander. John Steinbeck’s THE GRAPES OF WRATH.Simon & Schuster 国际出版公司. 1996
［２］胡仲持（译），斯坦贝克：《愤怒的葡萄》，外国文学出版社，1982年
［３］温洁霞，《愤怒的葡萄》中的《圣经》典故与象征意义，《外国文学研究》，《外国文学研究》编辑部，2002.2，77–81
［４］杨金才等，《新编美国文学史》（第三卷），上海外语教育出版社，2002.12
【Key Words】Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath. Themes. Writing skills
１.Introduction
John Steinbeck is the most important writer during the period of Great Depression in American literature in the 1930s. The Grapes of Wrath has particular significance in the 20th century. It is the historical record of American social history in the 1930s and reoccurs the bankrupt farmers’ miserable experience on their way to California. In short, the book is authentic and attracts people’s attention. Steinbeck perhaps has best expressed how he changed social facts into art in the novel and reveal the universal truths.
２.The analysis of The Grapes of Wrath
Collective consciousness is one of the positive themes in the novel. The Joads’ mother is the most important character in the novel. Her act indicates her social awareness and understanding for little people to gain power and security. Under the direction of the realization, when they themselves are in difficulty she not only cares her “nuclear family”, but cares the “extended family” the whole laboring strata. Tom’s changes are most attractive. After experiencing miserable difficulties and unfair treatment and Casy’s death, Tom realizes union is strength. His belief “two are better than one” urges him to put the collective consciousness into action and he has been a real warrior to fight for the poor and social betterment. Jim Casy is the novel’s guiding moral voice. And Casy plays a vital role in the transformation of Tom into a social activist. He thinks only the actions in collective behavior are holy and realizes the masses’ great power, he even devotes himself to the workers movement.
3．The writing skills
The symbolizations are used vividly in the novel. First, dust emphasizes one of the themes—the clash between survival and human dignity. Steinbeck always connects dust with what is dead. It symbolizes the settling fortunes of the Joads in destructive attack. Second, examining the adventure of turtle who suffers many frustrations. We can see the turtle strives for living and never yields to difficulties. It is the symbol of migrants moving toward the west. Third, it is about Biblical symbolism. The title is from Old Testament. In Bible grapes symbol richness and hope. So the bankrupt farmers of Oklahoma take grapes as the symbol of happy life and the “grapes” give them courage and hope to defeat all difficulties. The “grapes” in the novel has been the symbol of painful wrath. The 12 people in the Joads and Casy that is 13. It reminds readers of Jesus and his 12 disciples. Jim Casy’s initials (J. C.) are the same as Jesus Christ. So we can say Casy is the Christ-figure prophet. Another is Rosasharn whose name means “Rose of Sharon” in Bible. She is selfish and can’t match her beautiful name. But when she gives her breast milk to a strange man, we can see Rosasharn’s changes symbolize Christian spiritual rebirth.
4. Conclusion
In a word, the theme and writing characteristics make The Grapes of Wrath an American epic. The usage of symbolization makes the book have deeper connotation and helps to unify the themes of the novel. In the novel, it seems that people can hear the call of that time: All working people must unite rally in order to improve the living situation and change the unfair social system.
【Works Cited】
［１］Charlotte Alexander. John Steinbeck’s THE GRAPES OF WRATH.Simon & Schuster 国际出版公司. 1996
［２］胡仲持（译），斯坦贝克：《愤怒的葡萄》，外国文学出版社，1982年
［３］温洁霞，《愤怒的葡萄》中的《圣经》典故与象征意义，《外国文学研究》，《外国文学研究》编辑部，2002.2，77–81
［４］杨金才等，《新编美国文学史》（第三卷），上海外语教育出版社，2002.12