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¶ … John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms take place during tumultuous social and political climates. The Grapes of Wrath features the Great Depression and therefore has the added dimension of economic depression and poverty. Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is set during wartime Europe, on the Italian front during the Second World War. Along these similar but distinct backdrops, the protagonists demonstrate their respective strengths and weaknesses. Tom Joad of The Grapes of Wrath and Frederic Henry of A Farewell to Arms are both products, if not total victims, of their circumstances. They are both tragic heroes, but not in the classical sense because hubris is not their fundamental weakness. Instead, these male protagonists suffer from a sort of impotence that prevents them from reaching their full potential.
Both Tom and Henry are tragic in part because they never know what makes them happy in the first place. Henry is a sad protagonist from the start of A Farewell to Arms. Henry seeks personal fulfillment and never...
His romantic interlude with Catherine seems like only an escape from the fact that he has failed in his role as a soldier; sexuality is one of the only ways the Henry can assert his masculine identity. "When I could not see her there I was feeling lonely and hollow,"
(Hemingway Chapter 7). Disillusionment is part of the protagonists' personalities. For Henry, disillusionment is due to the war and for Tom the disillusionment is due to the American Dream's failure to come true for his family.
Both Tom and Henry have killed a man; their homicides define their character and yet neither of the two learn anything from their moral transgression. Tom kills a man because he needed to avenge his friend, but also because he has no political or social power with which to avenge Casey in a just way. Henry kills a man only because he did not respect him. If Henry were confident enough to feel self-respect he would not have needed to commit murder.
Both Tom and Henry are victims of their times; Tom of the economic depression and…
John Steinbeck, why soldiers won't talk. "Why soldiers won't talk:" John Steinbeck's imaginative essay on the psychological impact of war One of the most interesting aspects of John Steinbeck's essay "Why Soldiers Won't Talk" is the way in which he subtly shifts from the first person to the second person in the essay. He begins the essay stating that he himself is not a soldier: "During the years between the last war and
Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," described the economic divide that existed in America during the Great Depression of the 1930's and the tragedies that occurred as a result. A native Californian, Steinbeck used his home state as the backdrop for a story of a family of migrant farm workers; derisively called "Okies" for their area of origin: Oklahoma. Devastated by a natural disaster commonly referred to
Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," described the economic divide that existed in America during the Great Depression of the 1930's and the tragic result that occurred as a result. A native Californian, Steinbeck used his home state as the backdrop for a story of a family of migrant farm workers, derisively called "Okies" for their area of origin, Oklahoma. The troubles the family faced, although originally
John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath -- the Movie and the Novel There are quite dramatic differences between the ending of the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" and the final chapter in the book (chapter 30) -- John Steinbeck's brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. In fact the last chapter of the novel is so totally dissimilar from the John Ford-directed film one wonders why Hollywood would cut out such engrossing drama
Grape Depression John Steinbeck's Naturalism and Direct Historical Representation: The Great Depression and the Grapes of Wrath Literature cannot help but be reflective of the period in which it is written. Even novels that are set somewhere outside the time and place that author occupies will necessarily include some degree of commentary on the issues, beliefs, and values of the author's own world. This is, in part, what makes an understanding of
For two years prior to the publication of the Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck spent his time with a group of migrant workers making their way towards California. Travelling and working with the laborers, Steinbeck found the heartfelt material in which to base his book." (Cordyack, 1) This shows in his gritty but sympathetic portrayal of the American working class. This is an idea which illuminates perhaps the most important of