Steinbeck Essays (Examples)

Steinbeck vs Hawthorne John Steinbeck's

Finally, redemption is possible and is achieved by some: when Hester, Pearl and Dimmesdale all stand on the public scaffold, Dimmesdale falls fatally ill and Pearl kisses him, the spell of sinfulness is broken for them (Hawthorne 175), while Chillingworth "positively withered up, shrivelled away and almost vanished from mortal sight" because his plan to destroy Dimmesdale were simultaneously broken (Hawthorne 175). In sum, Puritan religious views are highly influential in Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter. However, Steinbeck's Cannery Row is not at all concerned with formal religion's concepts of sin, guilt, alienation and redemption.

3. Conclusion

John Steinbeck's Cannery Row and Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter reveal views of humanity that are very much alike in at least one respect and quite different in at least another respect. oth authors extensively use paradox to describe their characters and therefore speak to the complexity of human beings. In Steinbeck's characters of…… [Read More]

Steinbeck's of Mice and Men

As one writer says, not reading this novel "…deprives individuals and communities of the opportunity to respond to an ethical imperative insisting on virtuous treatment of our fellow human beings" (George, 83).

This is a tremendous summation of fundamentally what Steinbeck is trying to achieve with a novel like of Mice and Men, and a notion which sums up most likely Steinbeck's strongest motivation for writing the novel.

However, as one writer points out, even though the ending of this novel might disturb most readers, "these scenes also point us in the direction of an understanding of human virtue that underscores the idea that no one is expendable and that illuminates the power of courage, compassion and goodness, even under the bleakest of circumstances" (George, 83). This quote naturally leads to a discussion of the ending and with good reason. The ending of Mice and Men is indeed disturbing. After…… [Read More]

Steinbeck's Okies Three Critical Perspectives

Ed. Peter Lisca and Kevin Hearle. New York, NY: Penguin, 1997. 604-615.

Outline

Thesis:

The three critical appraisals this essay will examine shows a changing "magnification." Each of our three critics has the "Okies" under the microscopic; but they employ three different lenses to examine their subjects. As we move from Reed to Owens to Gladstein, the calibration of the microscope moves steadily away. The movement starts with a narrow aperture, and "zooms out" to encompass a universal perspective: the "Okies" however, remain solidly in the center of our lens' field of vision.

Points

John R. Reed, in his article "The Grapes of rath and the Esthetics of Indigence" close scrutiny of life & language of the migrants.

A reveals their dignity focus firmly on them, no need for archetypal / biblical interpretation

Louis Owens, in his article "The American Joads," widens the lens of perspective symbolic of the entire…… [Read More]

Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath -

In the end of the book Rosasharn agrees and goes to him.

In the film version there is no flood, Rosasharn does not give birth, and the baby does not die. When Tom leaves at the end, his speech to Ma about fighting injustice seems almost victorious, as though Tom were a hero instead of a victim. After he leaves, Ma and Pa get in their old truck and head for a different part of the state, hoping to get work. Pa admits to Ma that he's not good for much anymore, and Ma gives him a nice talk. She tells him the people will always go on because the backbone of the country is the people. Although the Joads are still poor, the film ending leaves hope for better times, whereas Steinbeck's ending is tragic and leaves no hope that anything will improve. The film, on the other hand,…… [Read More]

Steinbeck Analysis a Deconstructionist Analysis

She describes the transcendental experience of a starry night: "Every pointed star gets driven into your body. It's like that. Hot and sharp and -- lovely" (p. 345) It is a moment that shows the close connection of the painful and the sublime for Elisa, a connection that she understands perhaps because the brutal and tender nature of gardening.

The most profound contradiction in the story comes at the end, when we see her reaction to the stranger's callous treatment of her chrysanthemum shoots. Before she sees the chrysanthemums wilting on the side of the road, she is full of pride and awareness of her own strength as a woman, as a grower of things, and as a potential fixer of things. At the sight of the abandoned chrysanthemum shoots, however, that vision of herself crumbles. Her question to the husband about the violence of professional fighting suggests a desire…… [Read More]

John Steinbeck Why Soldiers Won't Talk

John Steinbeck, why soldiers won't talk.

"hy 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 "hy Soldiers on'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 this one, I was always puzzled by the reticence of ex-soldiers about their experiences in battle" (Steinbeck 1). However, according to Steinbeck, gradually he has come to understand why soldiers struggle to articulate the horrors they have seen. Then, the essay makes a major shift from 'I' to 'you': "This is how you feel after a few days of constant firing. Your skin feels thick and insensitive. There is a salty taste in your mouth" (Steinbeck 1).…… [Read More]

Authors John Steinbeck Puts a Lot of

authors, John Steinbeck puts a lot of himself in his novels. In his novels we can see self-characters, representing Steinbeck himself in some ways and also hidden characters that represent his family, his friends and the events of his life. We also see how the people he met in his life resulted in his interest in some major themes that are seen in many of his novels. The greatest of these themes is the question of what is real wealth, which this question provoked by Steinbeck's own family and childhood and also his interaction with poor farm workers.

The greatest example of self-character is seen in East of Eden. In A Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letter Steinbeck calls the novel "the story of my country and the story of me." The story is narrated by Steinbeck as himself, telling the story as the Grandson of the…… [Read More]

Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck's 1942 novel The Moon is Down can be interpreted as a propaganda piece, aimed at emboldening and comforting the conquered peoples of Europe during the Second World War. However, admitting this pragmatic objective of the book does not necessarily detract from the value of the arguments or themes found within. Steinbeck manages to convey a comprehensive picture of contrasting world perspectives though his depiction of a fictitious small town in Scandinavia. He takes special care to characterize the standpoints of individual German soldiers, suggesting their mentalities' representative and prevalent holds upon the nation's broader self-identity. Additionally, notable emphasis is placed upon the ordinary nature of the townsfolk. The fundamental theme that Steinbeck wishes to communicate is that the very mechanisms by which the German military extends its dominance over the conquered demand that their empire will ultimately fail: it is a consequence of the social structure that the…… [Read More]

Red Pony by John Steinbeck

A gift like this should be a time of joy, but with Jody's hard-edged dad, it was more tension than joy. "God's preference seems arbitrary and apparently denies Cain free will," Etheridge writes, alluding again to Cain and Able. And there is also an element of "laying down the law" in what Carl Tiflin said to his son. And Tiflin leaves the job of showing Jody how to care for his pony to the hired hand, Billy.

Jody may be obedient when it comes to doing what his parents want him to do, but he is also rebellious on another level, as essayist Joyce Hart writes in the book Novels for Students. Steinbeck, "slowly but surely," hints that Jody is becoming more independent of his parents and is doing things that rebellious little boys will do. For example, out of anger Jody kicks a muskmelon with his heel. "He doesn't…… [Read More]

John Steinbeck's in Dubious Battle

Dubious attle, by John Steinbeck. Specifically, it will focus upon how characters represent the various ideas held by capital and labor by the 1930's. "In Dubious attle" is the story of poor field workers fighting a lost cause against prosperous owners. Rather than a story of reform and revolt, "In Dubious attle" is really a struggle between good and evil, and the self-destructive behavior that lives in all mankind.

IN DUIOUS ATTLE

Steinbeck wrote the novel "In Dubious attle" in 1935, after visiting migrant settlements in the Central Valley of California. Jim Nolan, the tale's main character, is a young man searching for himself when he meets a Communist Party organizer trying to organize the fruit pickers into a cohesive union. One critic noted the fruit farms are an important theme throughout the novel, as are Jim's reactions to what is happening around him. "However, although the beckoning potential of…… [Read More]

Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's Novel the

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 brought on by a natural catastrophe, seem to be made worse as a result of man's inhumanity toward his fellow man. Steinbeck novel was a criticism of a system of economics that allowed a few wealthy landowners to take advantage of scores of powerless, yet honorable, common people.

Growing up in California, John Steinbeck was fully aware of the wealthy landowners who, after acquiring the land from it's original Mexican owners through dubious means, transformed the state into an…… [Read More]

John Steinbeck Of Mice

...and then by her unfortunate marriage to Curley, whom... she does not even like." (Attell) All of her attempts to talk to the other characters, disastrous as they potentially might be, can be seen as attempts to make any kind of human contact. The solution for the farmhands in their loneliness is more simple -- they need to learn to reach out and make friends, and commit to each other as people in their journey. Curley's wife has a more difficult quest before her, because she has already tried to take that first step (marrying Curley was no doubt an attempt to break out of her loneliness), and now any further steps are being restricted by him. On can definitely see why she asks, "Wha's the matter with me? Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You're a nice guy. I don't…… [Read More]

Grape Depression John Steinbeck's Naturalism and Direct

Grape Depression

John Steinbeck's Naturalism and Direct Historical epresentation: 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 history so essential to a true understanding of individual works of literature as well as larger literary movements, periods, and genres; though historical criticism is certainly not the only valid approach to reading and interpreting literature, a lack of basic historical knowledge concerning the background of a specific text will almost certainly lead to a misinterpretation of that text and a lack of awareness of certain subtleties and implications in a given work.

At other times, of course,…… [Read More]

California Writers John Steinbeck Native

They work when they can picking crops, but agitators create a violent atmosphere, after wages are cut due to the overabundance of pickers. People are starving and the law is harsh with locked out strikers who fight with desperate workers who become "scabs." This is a forceful story about how a proud family survives, and about the humanity in even the meanest of men.

Of Mice and Men George and Lennie are brothers, and all they have is each other. Lennie is strong and mentally retarded. George is trying to take care of him. Lennie kills puppies, because he loves them too much and squeezes them too hard, and he kills a young women, Curly's wife, by accident, because he is trying to stop her from doing what he knows is wrong. Curly's wife comes to visit Lennie, attracted to his strength after he crushes Curly's hand. he gets scared…… [Read More]

Pearl by John Steinbeck Characters

The message is that money and possessions get a hold on you. You don't own them -- they own you. Your freedom is gone and enjoyment of the little things that make life worth living -- eating with family members, for instance, and lying in bed with someone you love in safety and comfort.

The scene in which Kino and Juana find water up in the mountains -- a very small pool of pure, fresh water -- bring out this idea. The simple things in life that God gives are what is important, not what you can buy. The water gives them life and satisfaction and beauty, whereas the pearl brings nothing but destruction, hatred, envy, and death. The pearl cannot quench their thirst. Love and the simple enjoyments of life can.

Kino loses his innocence also when he focuses on money and possessions instead of spiritual things -- like…… [Read More]

comparing the protagonists in chopin and'steinbeck

Elisa Allen is the protagonist of John Steinbeck's short story “The Chrysanthemums,” and Louise Mallard is the protagonist of Kate Chopin's “The Story of An Hour.” Both Elisa and Louise are products of their social and historical contexts, particularly when it comes to gender norms. Elisa and Louise are passive protagonists, because patriarchy has stripped them of political agency. By creating passive protagonists in their respective short stories, Steinbeck and Chopin make powerful social commentary about the role of women in their private and public lives.

Both Elisa and Louise feel stuck in their marriage, but perceive liberation as impossible within the confines of their culture. In both short stories, nature symbolizes wasted potential. For example, Elisa is capable of so much more than gardening: "The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy," (Steinbeck). Similarly, Louise realizes that she has wasted her life when she sees nature…… [Read More]

John Steinbeck's Morose Preoccupation

John Steinbeck's Morose Preoccupation

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a somewhat strange, surprising read. The author selects a very unlikely setting, a farm populated predominantly by hired hands, for a tale that is largely predicated on the conception of friendship and its myriad interpretations -- and applications. However, there is a definite undercurrent that some readers might find disturbing that is present in some of the most poignant notions of this tale. That undercurrent is one of death, the virtue that Western civilization seemingly extols above most other ones. An analysis of some of the more pivotal moments in this novel reveal that ultimately it is a morbid one in which death is seen as the ultimate expression of friendship: which is more than a little morose, to say the least.

Thematically, it is difficult to distinguish the motifs of friendship and death that are tightly intertwined in…… [Read More]

Progress and Technology

Philosophical and Literary epresentation of Capitalism

Progress & Technology in Capitalism

John Steinbeck wrote the social The Grapes of Wrath during the interwar years, just after the Great Depression harrowingly illustrated the power of unchecked capitalism. His novel takes the position that revolutionary change is needed, is inevitable, and that a just and non-exploitive society can only come about when capitalism is eliminated. Steinbeck is reported to have made clear his intentions as he prepared to write The Grapes of Wrath. In his words, "I want to put a tag of shame on the greedy bastards who are responsible for this" [the Great Depression and its widely destructive effects]." Steinbeck's collectivist-leaning voice at the time of his writing The Grapes of Wrath would become so altered over the course of three decades that it hardly seemed to belong to this writer who created on the very edge of moral fervor.…… [Read More]

Imagery & Symbolism in the

"She relaxed limply in the seat. "Oh, no. No. I don't want to go. I'm sure I don't." Her face was turned away from him. "It will be enough if we can have wine. It will be plenty." She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly -- like an old woman" (Steinbeck).

There are a number of fairly eminent points to be made about this quotation -- the first of which is that Allen's husband has taken her away from her source of power -- her garden. Away from that source, she is described by imagery that is rather enervating and in opposition to the vivacity she previously personified. The imagery of her sitting "limply" and weeping "weakly" is strongly contrasted with the images of her cutting through plants and powerfully gripping handfuls of earth -- which symbolizes the source of her…… [Read More]

East of Eden

East of Eden

John Steinbeck's story centers on two generations of the Hamilton and Trask families. "East of Eden" is essentially a modern-day 'Cain and Abel' tale corresponding the Biblical conflict to two generations of two sets of brothers, Charles and Adam Trask, and Adam's sons Aron and Caleb Trask. "The Trasks were his 'symbol people,'" Steinbeck insisted, "and their story was one about how one lives with human suffering" (Summary pg).

Cyrus, the Trask patriarch, favored Adam over his other son Charles, which led to lifelong conflict and an adulterous affair between Charles and Adam's bride, Cathy, who represents Eve in Steinbeck's 'Cain and Abel' tale. The Biblical correlation continues into the next generation of Trasks with Adam's treatment of his twin sons Aron and Caleb, favoring Aron over Cal and creating great suffering for Cal and drama for the entire family (Steinbeck 2003).

hether good or evil, the…… [Read More]

Isolation in American Literature the

The mere fact that these people interact as much as they do is a sign of the blurring of class signs. Also, the image of Gatsby as essentially nouveau riche, is itself a statement indicating interclass mobility. Unlike Steinbeck's story, Fitzgerald's is much more concerned with individual prejudices and stereotypes. In Gatsby, the prejudgments are of the working class against the leisured class. The work also speaks to the utter aimlessness of someone like Gatsby - a man who lives it seems, just for the sake of inoffensive pleasure, but who, at the same time, contributes nothing to the overall society. The unbelievable disconnect between Gatsby's set, and the rest of humanity is captured in an offhand remark of one of his guests, who just happened to find himself in the library, "I've been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit…… [Read More]

Economics Most Histories Blame the

The effect of all of this is to drive away those who actually worked the land because they loved it, replacing them with hired hands running machinery, neither of which is likely to be kind to the land.

Monopoly

Perhaps the most familiar form of business except for perfect competition, monopoly situations result when there are many potential buyers for a product or service, but only one seller.

In the Grapes of rath, a monopoly situation is created as the banks decide to remove tenant farmers, preferring to sell the land to a single large conglomerate of landowners or even a single corporation.

Steinbeck could hardly have painted a harsher picture of this monopoly-in-progress, with scenes of huge bulldozers razing all evidence of the tenant farmers from the land. However, he also notes that the 'monopolization' of the Great Plains was seemingly an event bigger even than those landowners who…… [Read More]

Whole and Its Parts an Analysis of Characters in Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat

CHAACTES IN TOTILLA FLAT

Tortilla Flat" by John Steinbeck was first published in 1935. It is set in the Monterey coast of California. This book features the adventures of a group of men of Mexican-American descent called the paisanos. As California writer and critic Gerald Haslam has noted, "Steinbeck must be recognized for seeing the diversity of the state's population, for writing about the paisanos of Monterey, for example, at a time when the majority of Californians did not acknowledge the importance or even the existence of mixed-blood Mexicans." (Shillinglaw, Susan. "Steinbeck and Ethnicity, 1995)

Thought they are troublesome people they are good at heart and like to help less fortunate people than them. The members of the gang are Danny, Pablo, Jesus Maria, Pilon and Big Joe Portagee.

They are soon joined by another paisano, the Pirate. All these men like to do is to enjoy a…… [Read More]

Arts Music Film Literature and Theatre

1939, John Steinbeck published his novel The Grapes of rath, and that same year the film version of the story was released. The film was directed by John Ford and was very popular, and the book and the film together reached millions of people. In writing this novel, Steinbeck reflected many of the social, economic, and political currents of the time. The story is set in the Great Depression era, and the Depression was still have its effect in 1939. hat would bring about the end of the Great Depression was already starting in Europe, meaning orld ar II, which does not impinge directly on the story of the Joad family but which we can see from our standpoint today was about to bring about massive changes in American society. The very nature of the story of the Joads, however, links that story to the Depression and its effect on…… [Read More]

Migratory Labor Identity in Exile

Never cold. an'fruit ever'place, an' people just bein' in the nicest places, little white houses in among the orange trees [...] an' the little fellas go out an' pick oranges right off the tree. They ain't gonna be able to stand it, they'll get to yellin' so."(Steinbeck, 95) Their conviction is enhanced by the stories they hear and by false advertisements they are sent. These false advertisements may very well stand for the archetype of contemporary commerce which is dependent on advertisement. California may moreover be a symbol for America itself, which was once seen as a heavenly continent, an unspotted, holy land. Steinbeck thus drafts at once a story of migration and tries to settle and capture the archetypes of the modern world. The story thus focuses on the fall of human life from wholeness into fragmentation: "Carbon is not a man, nor salt nor water nor calcium. He…… [Read More]

Environmental Themes

Environmental Themes in Grapes of rath

This essay reviews environmental themes from the following five books: Dust Bowl by Donald orster, The Grapes of rath by John Steinbeck, Everglades: River of Grass by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Killing Mr. atson by Peter Matthiessen, and River of Lakes by Bill Belleville. This paper discusses the role that culture has played in environmental issues during the past century. Five sources used. MLA format.

Environmental Themes

Humans from the very beginning of their existence have had an impact, for better or worse, on the environment. Man has for the most part tried to control the environment to suit his needs or tastes of the era. Over-grazing, over hunting, ignoring the importance crop rotations, dam building, and toxic dumping, are but a few of the ways man tries to control. Few societies have ever considered any of the above when it comes to the environment.…… [Read More]

U S Labor Movement and Grapes

21, 388). Steinbeck's tone throughout is one of the owners' impending doom. ut their violent and cruel methods keep them in control.

The labor perspective is posed against this. Tom angrily mentions a strike. He says, "Well, s'pose them people got together an' says, 'Let 'em rot.' Wouldn't be long 'fore the price went up, by God!" (ch. 20, 336). He is told that the owners find out who the labor movement leaders are and jail or kill them. y the end of the novel, there is not much redeeming. The workers are exploited. The closest they come to organizing in unions is in the migrant camps. This does not help them overcome the powerful owners. Strikes are broken up because there are just too many people who are desperate for anything. Yet the Joad family falls into luck with cotton picking. This is symbolized in chapter twenty-eight with their…… [Read More]

Jungle by Upton Sinclair Uncle

" Steinbeck's novel was written in a much different style, much more modern, and so it is easier for modern readers to relate to it. Each of the novels places the characters in poor situations, so they all compare to each other in this regard. The reader becomes sympathetic to them because of their plight, and they want them to win. Unfortunately, because of society at the time, for most of the characters, that is not possible. Steinbeck's account of the Joads leaves them in a terrible situation by the end of the book, yet they somehow remain hopeful. Steinbeck is looking at the American people as a whole, and how, when the times are the worst, they still hang on to hope.

As for social impetus, the books did spark change. "The Jungle" actually helped form the first department in Washington to deal with food safety, the Federal Department…… [Read More]

Wallace Stevens -- the Idea

One of Wright's major works was Black Boy and one of the most poignant sections of that book was Chapter 12 in which Wright described the experiences of two southern black boys exploited by the "five dollar fight." Working for an optician in Memphis, Tennessee, the protagonist (Richard) hopes that his experiences with white people in Memphis will be better than in the small town of Jackson, Mississippi "The people of Memphis had an air of relative urbanity that took some of the sharpness off the attitude of whites toward Negroes & #8230;"

However, Richard finds that white people are just as exploitative and abusive of blacks in the big city as in small towns. Some of the white men where Richard works pay another black boy a quarter at a time to let them kick him in his rear end and even when white men seem to be nice…… [Read More]

Naturalist and Realist Literary Movements

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is perhaps the best example of Realism in literature because of how Twain presents it to us. Morality becomes something that Huck must be consider and think out as opposed to something forced down his throat. He knows the moral thing to do would be to report Jim, noting, " "People would call me a low down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum -- but that don't make no difference. I ain't agoing to tell" (Twain 269). Furthermore, he cannot send Miss atson his letter he because his friendship with Jim trumps the morality he knows. Similarly, Jim wrestles with issues of good vs. bad. This is evident because of they way he decides to escape. He even begins to understand what Huck is going through when Huck does not turn him in. His revelation forces him to realize that Huck is "de bes'…… [Read More]

Human Condition When One Compares Characters in

human condition when one compares characters in the stories of different writers. Each writer's story indicates a perception of the human condition that is acted out by the story's characters. One interesting study may be to compare the character of Miss Emily Grierson from "A Rose for Emily" by illiam Faulkner with the character of Elisa Allen in "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck. Through the author's description of the characters, the world around them, and their reactions, the reader can learn a lot about the individuals, and even more so when they are compared to one another. Miss Emily Grierson and Elisa Allen's very different lifestyles create in each of them a similar perception about the world they live in, but they each respond to their perception of life in very different ways.

It would first be prudent to take a look at the differing lifestyles of the two protagonists,…… [Read More]

Agricultural Development System in America

However, it was changes in technology that originally made the cultivation of the land possible, and marked a shift from earlier methods of production, as practiced by Native Americans. hile small Okie farmers might have hated the larger agricultural conglomerates, they too had benefited from technology in past and paid the price when technology destroyed the land. And it was, in the end, technology that also saved such subsistence farmers, in the form of new cultivation methods -- introduced by the federal government.

orks Cited

Cooper, Michael. Dust to Eat. Clarion, 2004.

Davidson, J.R. "Interview." itness. The Dustbowl. PBS. May 1, 2010.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/interview/dustbowl-witness-jr-davison/

"Dust bowl." The Great Depression and orld ar II. May 1, 2010.

http://memory.loc.gov/learn//features/timeline/depwwii/dustbowl/dustbowl.html

"The Dust Bowl." U.S. History. May 1, 2010.

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1583.html

Egan, Timothy. The orst Hard Time. Mariner, 2006.

"Hugh Hammond Bennett." The Dustbowl. PBS. May 1, 2010.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/dustbowl-bennett/

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of rath. Penguin,…… [Read More]

The Man Turned to Mouse

John Steinbeck's Morose Preoccupation

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a somewhat strange, surprising read. The author selects a very unlikely setting, a farm populated predominantly by hired hands, for a tale that is largely predicated on the conception of friendship and its myriad interpretations -- and applications. However, there is a definite undercurrent that some readers might find disturbing that is present in some of the most poignant notions of this tale. That undercurrent is one of death, the virtue that Western civilization seemingly extols above most other ones. An analysis of some of the more pivotal moments in this novel reveal that ultimately it is a morbid one in which death is seen as the ultimate expression of friendship: which is more than a little morose, to say the least.

Thematically, it is difficult to distinguish the motifs of friendship and death that are tightly intertwined in…… [Read More]

Novel the Grapes of Wrath

narrative structure of the Grapes of rath

The Grapes of rath by John Steinbeck is a realistic novel that chronicles the journey of the Joad family during the dustbowl era. The Joads have lost their farm and are looking for work in California. They are contemptuously called 'Oakies' because they are itinerant migrants from Oklahoma. Steinbeck weaves the conventional narrative structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution with musings about the nature of America, its farmland, and the economy.

The story begins with the Joads getting ready to leave their farm, which has been repossessed by the bank because the Joads have been unable to plant anything in the dusty soil. Steinbeck portrays the banks as greedy monstrosities: "They breathe profits; they eat the interest on money" (Steinbeck 32). The son Tom Joad is currently on parole but he decides to follow his family. His friend, a…… [Read More]

Elisa Allen and Neddy Merril

" His use of alcohol only enforces his incapability to distinguish between what is real and what is memory. It seems as though every stop represents a moment in Ned's life that he chose to ignore, oblivious to the fact that it might interfere and disturb the course of life. He does not recognize what people are telling him, nor does he find himself on the same length with them, and he feels the journey has exhausted him more than he expected. As he finally reaches his home, he is bewildered not to find anything nor anyone there, as if the house were deserted. This is what constitutes the reality of the story, that Ned's life had been broken down by his incapacity to change his demeanor and to realize what was really going on. That people were reminding him of financial issues, that he seemed to like alcohol a…… [Read More]

Capturing Cruelty in the Opening Scene of

Capturing Cruelty in the Opening Scene of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The English author and historian Edward Gibbon once wrote that, "The works of man are impotent to the assaults of nature." Nowhere is this philosophical perspective better captured than in the John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. The novel tells the story of two migrant agricultural workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, during the Great Depression in 1930's California. A central theme in the novel is man's cruelty to one another and how it drives them to hurt other human beings as in the case of Curley's viscous attack on the mentally-handicapped Lennie. In the opening scene of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the author establishes a contrast between innocence and cruelty through the use of expansive descriptions of nature, symbolism and characterization. This opening dichotomy is vital to an understanding of the theme of cruelty…… [Read More]

Role of Woman in Society

She is the engine which drives the family.

Her attitude influences the one of the others. eing aware of this she succeeds to control the manifestation of her emotions. Another proof of her wisdom is the fact that she does not want to impose herself in all the circumstances. She lets Pa manifest himself, although she makes it clear for everybody that she has a strong authority as well. She is aware of her own condition.

Another woman whom Steinbeck uses in order to communicate the new dynamics of the men-women relationships is Rose of Sharon. One of the most famous scenes in the book is the one in which she feeds the man, helping him to survive. Her role is fundamental. She is the strong one, the provider. The man on the other hand is weak and dependent. The symbolism is very strong. "The fact that Rose gave birth…… [Read More]

Daily Life In Fact it

In this novel, class has more to do with breeding and background than it does with simple wealth. Class is a complex concept, and this has made it very difficult to negotiate shifts and changes in one's class status. The Great Gatsby illustrates that class is capable of producing deep-seated prejudices that cannot simply be altered by external factors like money.

Another very famous novel that affirms these class divisions and the barriers to class mobility is Jane Austen's Emma. The main character thinks of herself as a very good matchmaker, and one of the many conflicts in the novel involves Emma trying to match her friend Harriet up with Mr. Collins, and dissuading her from her romantic feelings for the farmer Mr. Martin. Emma foolishly believes, simply because she likes Harriet as a friend, that Harriet will be accepted into the upper reaches of the eighteenth century British class…… [Read More]

Good vs Evil and Cathy's Role When

GOOD VS. EVIL AND CATHY'S OLE

When you come across a fictional character that possesses true evil attributes and has not got a single good bone in his/her body, you are likely to respond in one of the two ways. That is, you would either reject the character terming it too monstrous to be believable or you would view it as a literary device used by the author to highlight his main theme. The first reaction however leads to nothing constructive, on the other hand the second type of response paves way for further and deeper analysis of the writing. This is how we seek to study John Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden" which contains one of the most iniquitous fictional characters in contemporary literature. This character is introduced to us as Catherine Ames "Cathy," who later changes her name to Kate. Cathy's personal attributes are so brutish in nature…… [Read More]

Goodman Brown of Hawthorne's Young

Both Elisa Allen and Goodman Brown suggest that sexual tension might be at the root of their conflict.

Allen arguably deals with her pain more constructively than Brown does. Brown becomes bitter as a result of the conflict he perceives in his heart. Moreover, Brown fails to ground himself in reality. Questioning whether or not the forest vision was real, Brown neglects to contemplate its value even as a dream. Learning that he does have longings to break free from the social conventions tying him down to the rigid and conformist Puritan society would have helped Brown come to terms with the Faith he does genuinely seek. Elisa cries but deep down knows that a simple dinner out with her husband is as much freedom as she can have while still savoring the joy of…… [Read More]

Isolation Is a Key Theme

Reasons for the isolation of employer and employee focus on class conflict, on the need for the employer to maintain at least the illusion of social superiority. The isolation of the employee can, however, serve the needs of the worker because only through unions can laborers unite together in their common cause of obtaining just wages and working conditions.

The government camps play into the social stratification and systematic isolation of migrant workers, even if they were designed to help people. The Joads are only one example of a family being isolated from the community and from the outside work, forced to work for meager earnings and in poor conditions. Steinbeck depicts the camps as being prison-like, the camps' residents as being bereft of any political or economic power. Their disenfranchisement causes characters like Tom Joad to come into unfortunate and fatal conflict with authorities. The result is a cycle…… [Read More]

Dramatic Reading for ESL Differentiated Reading With

Dramatic eading for ESL

Differentiated eading with 10th Grade EFL Students

ESL literature is replete with studies focused on optimal learning environments and enhancements to student motivation (Lazaraton, 1886). Some of this literature parallels earlier work by linguists, psychologists (Harter, 1981), and educators (ichards & odgers, 2001), and early childhood researchers (Vygotsky, 1986) who specialize in language acquisition. Indeed, there is a plethora of anecdotal information about how to use visuals, games, music, and drama to increase ESL students' engagement in their learning. However, formal research about the effectiveness of drama as context for teaching English as a second language is not readily found in the literature.

This case study offers a discussion of the use of drama as part of a differentiated reading strategy to teach literature to 10th grade ESL students. Although the highlighted strategy is generally applicable, the literature used in this exercise is Of Mice and…… [Read More]

Neo-Confucianism Is a Philosophy Which Was Born TEST1

musical style epitomized the 1920s? Jazz

What did John Steinbeck describe in he Grapes of Wrath? he dust bowl and its impact on agricultural families during the great depression.

National Industrial Recovery Act? An act created by President Roosevelt to stimulate the economy by allowing the government to regulate particular industries.

What did the Civilian Conservation Corps do? Created jobs on state and national lands to stimulate the economy.

What did Eleanor Roosevelt see as her primary role as First Lady? o be an advocate for civil rights

Which of the following was not true concerning the election of 1936? Incomplete Question

Which of the following pieces of legislation was an attempt at campaign reform in the late 1930s? Incomplete Question

he National Resources Planning Board facilitated? he National Resources Planning Board facilitated creating and implementing employment for young men during the great depression.

What feature of the Agricultural Adjustment…… [Read More]

Women Are Confined in Society as Depicted

women are confined in society as depicted in the stories by Steinback, Joyce and Oates.

Stories set in the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century often depict women as being confined to the norms of society even while they struggle to be free. Authors of literary works may they be short or long stories have often presented these women as being frustrated with the status imposed upon them and show the problems they face in a patriarchal society. In John Steinback's Chrysanthemums for instance, the female character Elisa Allen has been portrayed as "a strong, capable woman kept from personal, social, and sexual fulfillment by the prevailing conception of a woman's role in a world dominated by men" (Steinback, 306). Her appearance, manner and speech all suggest that she is a woman frustrated with the male dominated world. Her husband forever reminds Elisa that she…… [Read More]

Methods of Narration

narration in four novels, "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, "Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, "All the King's Men" by obert Penn Warren, and "Absalom, Absalom!" By William Faulkner. Specifically, it compares are contrast the four different methods of narration in each of these novels.

Each of these classic novels uses a different form of narration to set the stage for the characters and move the plot along. Each form of narration adds to the impact of the novel, and altering the narration would certainly alter the way the novels affect the reader. These novels are excellent examples of the differing forms of narration, and how important they are to the overall art of fiction.

Absalom, Absalom!" uses a stream of consciousness type of narration that includes the shifts in points-of-view and setting that can be unsettling to the reader. This is the author's intention, for…… [Read More]

Grapes Wrath the Depression Era

For two years prior to the publication of the Grapes of rath, 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 parallels between the national experience during the Great Depression and the experience that the film portrays through the Joads upon their arrival to California. Namely, the capitalist system which has brought much pride and affluence to America's industrialists, and which somewhat questionably proclaims the opportunity for all to rise through an effective manipulation of the system, is the clear and declared enemy of the Grapes of rath. The inhumanity which is demonstrated by the banks and the bulldozers which reinforced…… [Read More]

Seemingly Paranoid Neuroses Is IT's Obsession With

seemingly paranoid neuroses is it's obsession with machines and their replacement of humanity. Beginning in the Victorian era, shortly after the onset of the Industrial evolution, Western civilization began to visualize the coming competition between man and machine. Machines, instead of becoming man's saving grace, were, because of their ability to replace human labor, seen as a threat to man's existence. This view of machines and technology has only become more acute with the advent of computers and the virtually complete integration and dependence modern society has on these machines. One need only look at some of the most popular movies in the last few years to see a number of man vs. machine themes; with man not always the victor. If the modern world enjoys action-packed fantasies about a bleak future under the tyranny of the machines, this has not always been the case. American literature is also replete…… [Read More]

Social Status Explored in Cannery

e see this reality as crude and unfair but, nevertheless, true.

In "The Chrysanthemums," we find Elisa in a situation that is similar to those in Cannery Row. Elisa is able to escape her situation through her gardening techniques but even that is shattered when she encounters the stranger. Elisa's story is different from those in Cannery Row in that she sees the gravity of it. After the stranger destroys her flowers, she understands her station in life and becomes quite sad about it. e can assume from this point-of-view that ignorance truly is bliss.

Elisa has great needs in her life, which are not meet through her husband. She is more than likely not going to have children.

Because she has no children of her own, she cultivates her flowers with extreme care. Her flowerbed has "no aphids, no sow bugs or snails or cutworms were there, no sow…… [Read More]

Red Grooms the Context of

This work was in effect an environment in which the viewer could interact with the artwork. It consisted of a Twenty- two foot long city bus complete with passengers, a working coin box, and a driver who turns to greet each new viewer. Grooms was also to create

The Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel, which consisted a fully operational carousel featuring 36 figurines and 28 scenes from his native home state of Tennessee.

RED GROOMS - an ARTIST for ALL REASONS)

There are many critiques and evaluations of the work of Red Grooms. hile his work varies extensively in terms of medium and size, his most popular and well-known weeks are the hallmark three-dimensional creations that have a "... high-spirited animated quality (RED GROOMS - an ARTIST for ALL REASONS) the following description of his work for the Christian Science Monitor sums up much of the popular response to these works.…… [Read More]

Confusing at First Because There Is No

confusing at first because there is no mention of a turtle, but the scene needs to be set before the turtle can have a point. The title of the story is good because it talks about the main subject of the story, but it is also important to know that the turtle is a metaphor for something bigger. Steinbeck is trying to show that there are many things that human beings encounter in life, but by not giving up and by making the effort to do something more with life, most of the problems can either be avoided or corrected so that they are not really problems anymore. The thick shell of the turtle is like the 'thick skin' that people talk about. It means that things do not bother a person, and it is important to be this way when problems appear so that life can be enjoyed.

In…… [Read More]

Narrative My Personal Relationship With

After reading this, I rabidly went through pretty much everything Steinbeck wrote, starting with his shorter novels (the Pearl, of Mice and Men) and moving into his collections of short stories (Tortilla Flats) and his novels about the Monterey Bay (Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday). A year later, I branched out drastically into the world of science fiction, reading Asimov and Phillip K. Dick as though they had the secrets of the universe woven in between their lines of prose, and if I could only red enough of them then all would be made clear. I guess I still think this is true to some degree; every story has elements that every human being can relate to, and each time I begin a new story I am hoping to pick out those elements and add them to the mosaic of my own understanding of human beings and the way(s) we are.…… [Read More]

Of Mice and Man

Mice and Men is an excellent short novel by John Steinbeck which reflects the extraordinary bond of friendship that exists between George and Lennie, two migrant workers and physically contrasting personalities. This short novel gives a vivid account of the dangers that are in store for an innocent man like Lennie. Lennie has mild mental derangement which makes him vulnerable in the society and he depends on the constant guidance and protection of George. As a truly committed friend, George takes care of Lennie even though he feels life would have been much easier without this burden. He lies to his boss that Lennie is his cousin and tries to shield him as much as possible from the dangers of the world. Together they share the dream of owning a farm in the near future and being relived from the trouble of having to work for someone.

Throughout the novel…… [Read More]

Malick and Transcendence Terrence Malick

" The narrator of the film asks: "hat's this war in the heart of nature? hy does nature vie with itself, the land contend with the sea? Is there an avenging power in nature?" Because it is a war film set during the Battle of Guadalcanal, the film explores the meaning of death and acts as a meditation on death much in the same way Christian eschatology contemplates the Four Last Things. In this sense, Malick's Thin Red Line explores themes similar to those explored by hitman and recognizes the need for spiritual transcendence in a world obsessed with death.

Likewise, just as Emily Dickinson represents the force and power of eternity in "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," so too does Malick in the Tree of Life. Dickinson writes in her poem of her understanding of immortality: "Since then -- 'tis Centuries -- and yet / Feels shorter…… [Read More]

Kate Chopin 1850-1904 Was Born Katherine O'Flaherty

Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was born Katherine O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1850. She didn't begin her writing career until after 1882, the year in which her husband, Oscar Chopin died (Toth). She spent several years publishing short stories, based on the Creole and Cajun cultures of Louisiana, where she and Oscar had lived. Her first novel, At Fault, was published in 1890. It was her second novel The Awakening that caused the backlash of the press because of Chopin's depiction of a woman with a developing sense of independence, and sexual discovery (Toth). This novel has since become her masterpiece and legacy, and what she is remembered for. She died in 1904, long before her genius was truly recognized or appreciated.

Kate Chopin's writing style is descriptive, and yet simplistic. Her tendency to focus on women has become a thread through which all her stories are woven. Her feminist…… [Read More]

Setting in Hawthorne's My Kinsman

The various places he stops represent certain alternative futures, and the brothel promises one of pleasure. His ability to resist it -- whether through morality or lack of money -- and continue on his journey is indicative of the revolutionary spirit. The fact that he keeps moving, and keeps searching in new places, matched the movement of the revolution and indeed of the country since then as it goes through its great democratic experiment.

Hawthorne's story is very enjoyable just as a piece of fiction. It is also an interesting historical piece, describing the feel of life in pre-Revolutionary America and the different opinions at various levels of society. These things are brought out in the setting perhaps more than in any other single element of the story. Time and place are incredibly essential to this story; the story is, in fact, about the changing political setting of the American…… [Read More]

What Does it Mean to Be an American

American?

Throughout our history incidents and occurrences remind us what it means to be an American. During this time of war, after the deadly terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, our American ideals and identity have come into re-examination. But where to begin: hold up a mirror to this country and see a mosaic of people, culture, and opinions. Nearly four hundred years ago, the Europeans began colonizing this land to begin new lives and expand the riches of empires in the Old World. And in less than four hundred years, the descendants of those original colonists have created a superpower that defends the liberties of all free people through the creation of a democratic republic that is founded of inalienable rights bestowed by a Creator, and guaranteed by a Constitution of laws; a unique, non-oppressive empire has been created that has…… [Read More]

James Dean Both His Real Life and

James Dean, both his real life, and how it related to his role in the movie "Rebel without a Cause." It will relate the themes of youth violence, and parent/youth relationships between James Dean and his personal life and the movie and real life in the 1950's.

JAMES DEAN AND THE MOVIES got it and I know if I better myself that there will be no match. A fellow must have confidence. - James Dean

James Dean was one of the most popular stars of the 1950s. Ironically, he only made three films before he died, but they were all popular at the box office, and increased his popularity with his fans. The film he is most remembered for is "Rebel without a Cause," released in 1955, after he was killed in a car accident. Dean has always embodied the "bad boy," and "Rebel without a Cause" did nothing to…… [Read More]

Perceptions of Presidents With Disabilities

He would sometimes be wheel chaired to the door through which he would enter to make a public appearance, but once at the door, his leg braces would be put on him, and he would rely on his son's arm for support and balance (43-48). Later, with his son's support, he was able to use a cane, and the extent of his disability was successfully downplayed by the force of his political platform and the attention he commanded with powerful words and the presentation of himself in a dignified way with strong posture (43-48).

"Deeply concerned that the image of a 'permanently crippled man' seeking to lead a crippled nation out of the Depression would be damaging to his campaign, oosevelt's aides every effort to portray the Democratic nominee as a man who had conquered polio and who could walk. As he traveled across the country, his leg braces, without…… [Read More]

John Snow Father Epidemiology Pioneering

S. History, 2011).

Only after aggressive government intervention did the Dust Bowl conditions improve. The government, even before the drought was broken in 1939, was able to reduce soil erosion by 65% through the actions of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which planted 200 million trees to "break the wind, hold water in the soil, and hold the soil itself in place" ("Disasters: The 1930s," U.S. History, 2011). Farmers received instruction by the government on "soil conservation and anti-erosion techniques, including crop rotation, strip farming, contour plowing, terracing and other beneficial farming practices" ("Disasters: The 1930s," U.S. History, 2011). For the first time, the government took an interest not simply in preserving some of its land from development in the form of national parks, but gave counsel to farmers how to use the land.

The gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots,' already wide even before the Great Depression, grew into…… [Read More]

Irish Stage Drinkers an Analysis

It is the context of Catholic Ireland (and not so much the Hays Production Code) that allows Ford's characters to enjoy the light-heartedness of the whole situation.

Such context is gone in O'Neill's dramas. O'Neill's Irish-American drinkers have left the Emerald Isle and traded it over for a nation where religious liberty denies the right of any religion to declare itself as true and all others as false. The Constitution, in fact, has been amended to keep government from declaring the truth of any religion. If no religion is true, how can the Tyrone's be expected to know the difference between Baudelaire's "spiritual drunkenness" and "physical drunkenness"?

O'Neill has Edmund quote Baudelaire in Long Day's Journey into Night as an attempt to rationalize his characters' drunkenness: "Be always drunken. Nothing else matters: that is the only question. If you would not feel the horrible burden of Time weighing on your…… [Read More]