Within first glance of the book, I could see that it was going to be challenging. After finishing, I can say that my assumption is correct. I thought I would not like the book, but I actually found myself interested in the story, although the was slow paced, and in a sense, tragic. I really like books that make me use my mind, and this book did, due to the constant misfortunes of the Joad family, and the bigger picture, the struggle between the tentant farmers, & landowners. The book provides alot of symbolism, which at first, I did not realize. After thinking about it, in Chapter 3, the turtle sets the theme for the whole story, struggling to get through a busy street, and after almost dieing, gets back up and continues its journey. The Joad family does this nearly the entire story.
Setting in the story is very important, because, it it constantly changing. The changing setting allowed the novel to be more interesting and vast. This is similar to are last book, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. There are 3 characters that I admire the most in the story, because I could not choose just one. The first is Tom, because at the end he chooses to become the legacy of his now died freind Jim, and becomes a sort of Advocate of peace & good. The second is Ma Joad, because i noticed that she tries to keep the family together the entire novel, and at the end, is sort of a leader of her family. The last, of course has to be Rose of Sharon, because of her selfless act of helping the man at the last moments of the novel. She was always about herself, and now after her horrifying experience of a stillborn baby, finds it in herself to help a starving man. I found this somewhat remarkible, and that is the reason I admire her.
As i said earlier, the book has alot of symbolism and the story is very tragic at points. In the end, to me, alot of the symbolism was foreshadowing to tragic events. Another big symbol was the death of the family dog by a rich person in the car, being killed and not looked at twice. Also, i found it tragic that alot of the members did not make it to the end of story, being together. Although i dont know if this is nessicarly bad, since the book does not end with the Joad family being at peace. I found the ending very dissapointing at that the family that journeyed so far and so long, looking for work, food, and a better opportunity deserved better than being left at a barn not knowing what is coming next.
Even though there was a dissapoiting ending, the story was overall well written, challenging, and made me think. I wonder what the next book will have in store. -Maxwell
I am glad you picked up on all of the symbolism by the end of the story. I do want to comment on how you felt the book was disappointing in the end. This book depicts the realities of life during the Great Depression, which was very depressing for a lot of people. However, this books leaves the reader with some hope in the end, don't you think? I am really glad you liked the book. It is one that exceeds expectations, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThis story is very tragic, like you said and is somewhat a challenge to read. Once i completed the novel I was also touched by the story. Like I said in my blog I can not directly relate to the story but could only imagin. As I read I put myself in their place and realized what a horrible and difficult time it was.
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