Summarize the conflict between the landowners and the banks. Is this man vs. man or the individual vs. society ?
The landowners in The Grapes of Wrath are extremely devastated and angry with the bank owners due to them wanting to take their land. The landowners want revenge but in reality they can't do anything because of who they're going up against. Many of the tenants say they'll shoot anyone who tries to take their land or destroy their houses, but as the character who plays as Joe Davis' son says, "Suppose you kill me? They'll just hang you, but long before you're hung there'll be another guy on the tractor, and he'll bump the house down. You're not killing the right guy" (Steinbeck, 1996, p. 38). Anything the landowners try to do, it won't do anything to completely stop the deconstruction. I believe this is individual vs. society because these individuals have to go up against a bank and other members of the bank enterprises. The men are not just going up against one man but to an organization of men who want to take their land. As the book states, "The Bank-- or the Company-- needs-- wants-- insists-- must have-- as though the Bank or the Company were a monster, with thought and feeling, which had ensnared them" (Steinbeck, 1996, p. 32). To me this quote is explaining how the company was it's own little society, they personified the bank and made it seem harmless, but to the men, the bank was atrocious. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but in my opinion that is how I see it. I'd be happy to hear what you think, thanks !
Nice post Jessica, I agree completely with your ideas!
ReplyDeleteHello Jessica!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your ideas; however, I am going to add more! :)
In this chapter, there is a conflict between the landowners and the bank as we can see in this chapter. This conflict is individual vs. society, because not only does the conflict lie in the fault of the bankers, but also in the fault of everyone. (using the theme: everyone is inner connected). The text states, "And the owner men explained the workings and the thinkings of the monster that was stronger than they were." (Steinbeck, 1996, p. 32.) This quote demonstrates how the bank is personified as a "monster"; moreover, the bank is made of various men wanting to get rid of the land that is not theirs. However, the owners are just following orders from a higher authority. This is where the conflict builds up because men are ranked based on money and commands. For example, the monster follows commands from someone higher, then the owner obeys commands from the back, and the tenants have to follow commands of the owners. Thus, this forms individual vs. society because everyone, no matter ranking, has a group to fear. This connects with the theme: everyone is inner connected: each group has someone to fear that's higher than they are.
I would like to hear the opinions of others! Feel free to add or subtract. :)
I completely agree with your ideas. It's too bad that there are some things in life that you can't stop.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your ideas. In addition I think that the tenant(individual) have more emotional connection to the land compare to the Bank/owner. While the Bank/owner(society) only have a materialistic connection with the land, they don't care if the land will get poorer. "Sure, cried the tenant men, but it's our land. We measure it and broke it up. We were born on it, and we got killed on it, died on it. Even it's no goo, it's stills ours... That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers on it"(Steinbeck, 1992, p.33). To the Bank/owner, they only care how many profit con make out of the land.
ReplyDeleteGreat responses guys! However, I feel as if I'll have to disagree with you guys on the conflict in chapter 5 being an Individual vs. Society conflict. I believe that it is a Man vs. Man conflict because even though the banks do seem like they are a powerful organization that doesn't mean that they're the ones that make up the society. It's Man vs. Man because the banks is made up by Men and regular people and the tenants are Men/Women. For this reason, I believe the conflict is between Man versus the other Man because one has more authority and power than the other because it has more money than the other.
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