Comment on the imagery and mood created in paragraphs 2-6
To be honest, I believe that the mood is a bit dark and peaceful at the same time. In the chapter, it describes what is happening inside an abandoned house that was once owned by a family. What made the mood of the chapter dark is seeing how much the house has degraded after the family moved out. The text states, "And the mice moved in and stored weed seeds in corners, in boxes, in the back of drawers in kitchens And Weasels came in to hunt the mice, and the brown owls flew shrieking in and out again." (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 78). As one can see, this quote demonstrates a good idea of what happened after the house was left vacant. But what makes the setting somewhat peaceful is seeing what happens in nature when people are away. Look at the YouTube videos of animals for example. It is always satisfying to see what they do when people are not around. That is the same feeling I get when reading this chapter.
Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas to add on?
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Hello Tommy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you have said,yet when I read the chapter I felt the mood was more depressing and filled with dissapointment because in my perspective the houses were left vacant because of the "monster." There is a bit of peace once the reader learns about the vacant house filled with all kinds of animals, but in my opinon I believe that the chapter was filled with more sorrow for land and people because of what the cold and heartless tractor men did, such as destroying valuable land that kept families alive. In my opinion I feel that Steinbeck included these moods to compare the difference a man and tractor does to the land in terms of production. Please feel free to comment!
Hello Tommy and Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of your opinions; however, I'll just add more.
In this chapter, there is a powerful message within the melancholic scenery. The text states, " The doors of the empty houses swung open, and drifted back and forth in the wind." (Steinbeck, 1996, p.116) According to the text, the land is vacant, just like Tommy emphasized, and the land is being taken over by nature or natural forces. Moreover, this depressed imagery given to the audience will continue throughout the novel: mainly foreshadowing using the setting.
I hope this makes sense, please feel free to comment! :)
You guys all answered fantastically! However, I do want to add to this. I wanted to comment on how once the people left the community, everything basically "died" out. This supports the saying that goes, "you will find no life where there's no life". When the people left, they took life with them from that community and it goes to show the importance of the bond between people and nature. Moreover, when the machines are there plowing the ground(earth), the environment dies or becomes depressed.
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