Reading and Sharing around the Globe
Oct 26, 2013
The grapes of wrath: Chapters 7-12
We are getting to know better the family, the father, the mother, the brother... they are all preparing to go West, selling their stuff and trying to organize the trip that will change their lives. It is amazing how Steinbeck describes the attachment of the family to the land, and how he expresses how the family has its roots there, and there they will remain for longtime in their memories, wherever they go, it might as well be Orange County, but they are from the Dust Bowl. How do you see this? Do you have such an attachment somewhere? Is home where your family is or a certain place? And finally, is there anything in particular that catches your eye in these chapters?
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I am so behind! I apologize for the delay. It looks like we are all very busy anyway!
ReplyDeleteThe strong attachment to the land also caught my attention. In most cases, these people never left their land: their parents were born there, just like them. I believe this has to do with the unknown, with getting far from your comfort zone. They don’t have a clue what’s beyond their land or the closest town. Also, that is the land their family sacrifice and fight for. That land is all they know. It is very touching and the way it is written I can easily feel their uncertainty and discomfort.
Our society has evolved in a different direction and internet plays an important role in this , but I can still see some similarities nowadays. I have seen elder people who cannot live on their own, but they are not willing to go anywhere else. They want to spend their days at their home, as they probably find this world hostile. They feel safe in their environment.
In my particular case, I was born in a place, grew up in a different one, studied somewhere else and now live in none of the previous. I don’t feel that strong link to no place, and that may be sad at times but it may also be a relief.
I agree with you Arantxa, I don't have that special link to the land, but however, you always develop some kind of attachment to places, things, some easier to forget and let go than others...
ReplyDeleteBig families in many countries now are a rarity, and the fact of living altogether grandparents, parents, kids, kids of kids... might be complicated to imagine, but closer to reality than what we think... or do we believe that this is not happening with the crisis? Many families reunited out of need... will that be a major trend in some years?
Those are very interesting points.
ReplyDeleteBeing together is what made the families in the book be able to survive. All together took care of the land and of each other. The sense of belonging to a big family seems to make them strong. That is why it felt so hard the lost of the grandparents.
I think nowadays the same happens in developing countries, in which living with different generations is common. There is a cultural component in that, but the root of having the extended family living under the same roof is mainly the need of support and lack of resources. In our society it used to be "easy" to look for independency by moving to a separate house. As Rocio mentions, with the current economic crisis we have in Spain you can see families reuniting under the same home to share expenses and support.
As Arantxa and Rocio, I have moved around several times and I do not feel I am linked to a place with the strength described in the book, not even to the place where I grew up and where my family still lives. However, reflecting on it I think maybe that is because the changes of location I made were chosen by me and not by harsh circumstances.