As far as propaganda goes, Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath is definitely a masterpiece in its own class. It's up there with the best of them. The story tells of a fictional family and their struggle throughout the Dust Bowl period of American history. In my opinion, upon reading what i have read so far, this novel is a superb testament to the struggling of the American Immigrants of the period.
It's biblical analogies and parallels are exceptional, they are very thought-provoking and poignant. As with other great novellists such as Golding, Steinbeck employs this technique to purify something and to ultimately make the subject/subject matter seem to hold "the truth". Brian made reference to the eloquence of Steinbeck's symbolism and told of how Jim Casy is used as a narrative devise to represent Christ When he dies he is seen as somewhat of a martyr, "you don't know what you're a-doin"". By using these allegories, the reader sympathises with the character thus expressing sympathy towards the subject. An exceptional piece of propanda! Using Christ as an allegory is perfect propaganda.
Tom Joad also bares Christian allegories, as he leads his family across the country to get to the figurative "Promised Land". Here there is a clear parallel to Moses, who lead the Israelites to the promised land from Egypt. With these two pieces of imagery alone, one finds it hard not to connect and sympathise with the characters in the novel. With such powerful imagery, Steinbeck has ensured that his novel will be remembered.
No comments:
Post a Comment