“The Grapes of Wrath”
Discussion notes 12-18
American Transcendentalism
A means of understanding the physical
and spiritual world.
 A philosophical, religious, literary, and
social movement which reached its peak
in the 1830s-1840s.
 Emerson (as in, Ralph Waldo) proclaimed
a form of transcendentalism whose
genesis was in his abiding belief that each
person could be in touch with the god
within, as well as with the divine currents
of the universe.
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American Transcendentalism
 Emerson
looked for primary truth in
the fundamental nature of the
human mind. We have more in the
mind than enters it through the
senses.
 In his essay “Self Reliance” he
asserts one of transcendentalism’s
fundamental tenets: the dignity, the
ultimate sanctity, of each human
being.
American Transcendentalism
 It’s
murky, though.
 Transcendentalism’s commitment to
the individual is a commitment to the
soul or spirit that each person
possesses in common with all other
human beings.
 “There is one mind common to all
individual men.”
American Transcendentalism
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That means there is a social imperative, too:
– The well-being of all individuals is the basic
purpose for all social organizations.
– Autonomous individuals cannot exist apart
from others.
There is a fundamental unity, a basic similarity,
in all human experience, which is more important
than the many obvious differences.
This gave every human a sense of responsibility
of self-esteem; everyone is part of something
much bigger than themselves.
He called this being part of something he called
the “Oversoul.”
Who does that sound like?
Transcendentalism
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“Why do we got to hang
it on God or Jesus?
Maybe, I figgered,
maybe it’s all men an’
all women we love;
maybe that’s the Holy
Sperit – the human
sperit – the whole
shebang. Maybe all men
got one big soul
ever’body’s a part of.’
Casy
Discussion notes: Chapters 12-14
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The Joads, perhaps
subconsciously, have begun
to follow Casy’s spiritual
vision. Their merger with the
Wilsons shows this:
– When the Wilsons open
their tent to the Joads,
they are saying,
“Welcome, brothers and
sisters.”
– Mrs. Wilson answers Ma’s
thanks for help by saying:
“People [have the need] to
help. Ma later replies:
“You can’t let help go
unwanted.”
Discussion notes: chapters 12-14
Theme: Anger and confusion:
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Anger, in many guises, dominates the book, and
Steinbeck warns of this in Chapter 14:
– Californians’ fear of the migrants turns to anger: “Keep
two men apart; make them hate, fear, suspect each
other.”
– If you don’t, then “I lost my land” is changed: a cell is
split, and from its splitting grows the thing you hate:
“We lost our land.”
– The danger is here, for two men are not as lonely and
perplexed as one. And from this first “we,” there grows
a still more dangerous thing:
– “I have a little food” + “I have none” = We have a little
food.”
Discussion notes: Chapters 12-14
– This spontaneous
sharing is seen when
the Wilsons offer their
tent for Grandpa to die
in; Mrs. Wilson gives up
a quilt to bury him in;
she tears a page from
her Bible for Tom to
write a eulogy on.
– Ma then pledges to care
for Mrs. Wilson, and Pa
later says, “We almost
got a [family] bond.”
– “I” becomes “We.”
Naturalism
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Became the dominant literary movement in
American fiction by the turn of the 20th century.
Early naturalistic writers included Stephen Crane
(“The Red Badge of Courage”); Jack London
(“The Call of the Wild”); Theodore Dreiser (“An
American Tragedy”).
Many of their stories manifested Darwin’s theory
of “survival of the fittest.”
Naturalism is a form of extreme realism: “Human
beings are animals in a natural world, responding
to environmental forces and internal stresses and
drives, over none of which they have control and
none of which they fully understand.”1
1. C. Hugh Holman and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature, 5th ed. (New York: Macmillan,
1986).
Naturalism
At the heart of this ideology is pessimistic
Determinism: the notion that the causes
of human tragedy lie beyond the powers
of the individual.
 The movement was influenced by Marxist
theory, which holds that class struggle is
the central element of social change in
Western society.
 This was coupled with economic problems
stemming from urbanization of America at
the end of the 19th century.
 This combination portrayed socioeconomic forces that overwhelm individual
lives.
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Naturalism
Naturalists focused on the lives of lowerclass characters struggling for survival in
an alien and often hostile society: a
society insensitive to their personal needs
for fulfillment or self-expression.
 Their stories are often told by an “allknowing” narrator who can relate
deterministic factors far beyond the
knowledge of the characters affected by
them.
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Naturalism
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The tendency in naturalistic works is that no one
emerges triumphant, because simple survival
constitutes a moral victory. Beaten down by an
inhuman system and bad luck, many of the
naturalist writers’ characters end as suicide
victims.
John Steinbeck was not a dedicated student of
American naturalism, yet his themes and
methods are often closely tied to this literary
movement.
Some elements of The Grapes of Wrath might
justify the term “naturalistic,” but the characters
also clearly make humane choices or decisions
that allow them to overcome obstacles and move
forward. They do more than survive.
Naturalism: Billy Austin
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With a partner, conduct this three-step analysis:
STEP ONE: Read the lyrics and write one sentence
that summarizes the subject of the song.
STEP TWO: Read the lyrics a second time and
write notes out to the side of the song that
identifies figurative language: metaphors, similes,
personification, imagery, etc. What message is
communicated to you now? Write two to three
sentences that explain your thoughts.
STEP THREE: Read the lyrics a third time. What is
the author trying to tell you? Evaluate the song.
What makes it interesting? What is the final
message communicated to you? Write a short
reflection on the lyrics.
“Billy Austin”
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Now, using what you wrote in the three-step
process, write a pregnant paragraph in your
notebooks, considering the following:
“Seems like I’ve always been in prison, like
I’ve always been alone.” What might the
figurative meaning of this statement be?
After all, Billy didn’t enter jail the moment
he exited the womb.
What clues do we get that the odds are
stacked against Billy?
Billy says he’s guilty: But is there any
context for what he has done? Explain.
Discussion notes: Chapters 15-18
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By chapter 17, the migrant
families develop certain
expectations as a society:
– Rules, rights, and customs
are developed.
– “They shared their lives,
their food, and the things
they hoped for in the new
country…twenty families
became one family, the
children were the children
of all.”
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“I” shifts to “We”
No one tells each other
what they have to do.
They do it because their
survival depends on it.
Discussion notes: Chapters 15-18
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Allusion: reference to a
person, event, place, or
phrase outside of a story
that the writer assumes
the reader will recognize.
An allusive reference can
be real or fictional.
A literary allusion refers to
another written work, art
piece, book, etc.
By chapter 18, when the
Joads cross the desert into
California, we see Biblical
allusions galore.
Discussion notes: Chapters 15-18
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Steinbeck enlarges the significance of his Okies’
experiences by associating them with those of
the Israelites (the chosen people) in the Old
Testament, and, thus, suggesting their human
and historical significance.
Although not formally divided as such, the novel
falls into three parts.
The drought and dispossession in Oklahoma
(chapters 1-11): corresponds to the oppression
and bondage of the Israelites in Egypt.
The journey on Route 66 (chapters 12-18):
corresponds to their Exodus and wandering into
the wilderness.
The arrival in California (chapters 19-30):
corresponds to their entrance into the Land of
Canaan.
Discussion notes: Chapters 15-18
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Other parallels:
– The plagues in Egypt: the drought in
Oklahoma.
– Egyptian oppressors: the bank officials.
– Hostile Canaanites: hostile Californians
(“goddamned Okies”).
– The “Promised Land” in both instances is first
viewed from a mountaintop (chapter 18 in the
novel).
– 12 tribes of Israel: 12 members of the Joad
family (counting Connie).
The Grapes of Wrath: Exam 2
preview
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Identify instances where we see the shift from “I” to “We.”
Recognize how this connects to Transcendentalism.
Particularly re-visit
– Chapter 17: Review the “society” that sets up nightly on the
road: the rules, the customs, punishments, etc.
– Chapter 18: The conversation between Sairy Wilson and Casy
before the families separate.
Would you generally know about:
Mae, the waitress at the diner (chapter 15) and what happens
there?
The one-eyed man at the junkyard, how Tom reacts to him, and
Tom and Al’s purpose for going there (chapter 16)?
The declining number of Joads?