Discuss the conflict of nature vs machine
The personal connections that a farmer forms with his land vs the nonexistent bonds between machines and property has been a recurring idea throughout the novel and again the reader is exposed to this theme in chapter 11. Before technology ever became advanced, farmers had a more intimate relation with their responsibilities and duties which led to the land becoming part of their life. Now since tractors are driven by men with no connection or understanding of the land, the farming process loses the intimacy that it had for families like the Joads and Graves. Steinbeck further explains this conflict by stating, "And when a horse stops work and goes into the barn there is a life and a vitality left...but when the motor of a tractor stops, it is as dead as the ore it came from. The heat goes out of it like the living heat that leaves a corpse" (Steinbeck, 2002, p. 115). The passage illustrates how after a long day full of meticulous work and dedication, humans rest, but still have life/energy and will be ready to go at it again the next day due to the passion they have for their land. On the other hand, after a tractor plows through the property as if it were nothing, its "soul" dies until the driver comes back weeks or months later to reap the "meaningless" land once more. All in all, machines require no devotion or passion for the land to cultivate it and has made the job of the farmer way too easy, while the farmers treated the land as a living being and cared for it.
Comment on the imagery and mood created in paragraphs 2-6
I believe the mood established is downright disheartening because the reader learns of what exactly happened to the houses once full of vitality and love. Now that the farmers were forced to move, the houses have became immensely dilapidated and now harbor wild animals such as owls, bats, and mice. To learn how quickly the houses fell apart without the families reveals more about the farmers and their lifestyle. Steinbeck describes the decrepit houses by stating, "And the mice moved in and stored weed seeds in corners, in boxes, in the backs of drawers in the kitchens. And weasels came in to hunt the mice, and the brown owls flew shrieking in and out again. The weeds sprang up in front of the doorstep, where they had not been allowed, and grass grew up through the porch boards" (Steinbeck, 2002, pg. 116). The imagery in the passage aids the reader to fully understand the arrival of the corporates and how rapidly they turned a land filled with life into a wasteland for their own benefits.
I would appreciate if anyone contributes and lets me know what they think!
Hi Jeffery,
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with both your posts, especially the connection between the farmer and the machine, I think the farmer has a better understanding and comprehension of the land because the farmer grew up loving and caring not just for the profit they earn at the end of the day, they care for it because they have a life and energy that no machine can ever replace. Great insight on both posts Jeffery. Please feel free to comment!
I agree with both answers jeffrey and with your answer Melanie but I wanted to add on to this. It is correct that the land and the farmers have an unreplaceble relationship and I believe this is so due to the long relationship between them. The farmers are basically "parents" to the land as they have, from the start, took genuine care and responsibilities for it, whereas the machine has shown no sympathy towards the land and "it plows through it aggressively, scaring it". Additionally, I think that it is fascinating how there used to be life in the environment but as soon as the people left, the environment became dead. That goes to show how powerful the bond between Nature and Man is and how one needs the other to flourish.
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