The grapes of wrath: analysis of chapter 6

Résumé du document

This excerpt, taken from Chapter 6 of ?The Grapes of Wrath', deals with Muley Graves's account of the depletion of man, when he is separated from his land. It is the third of many narrative chapters, which move away from the social, economic and historical situations that shape the intercalary chapters, to focus on the plight of individuals. At the beginning of Chapter 6, Muley tells Tom that the Joads, as well as his own family, have been removed from their land by the bank. He also confesses that he was unable to leave the land where he had grown up and to follow his family to California. Therefore, the passage seems to be about the erosion of family unity and of man's dignity. Nevertheless, the sharing of food between Tom, Muley and Casy seems to foretell the creation of a new kind of bond between the Okies.

Extraits

[...] For example, Muley's sharing of his meal foresees Chapter 20 when Ma will leave the rest of her stew to hungry children. The encounter between the three characters offers three different perspectives on life, ranging from Tom's pragmatism to Muley's belief in pastoral life, not to mention the Emersonian-like beliefs of Casy. The narrator unfolds various devices of writing that the reader is invited to analyse. The reader is himself asked to reflect upon linguistic and narrative strategies, to find the numerous biblical and philosophical references and to participate in the development of the diegesis. [...]

[...] The grapes of wrath: analysis of chapter 6 This excerpt, taken from Chapter 6 of The Grapes of Wrath, deals with Muley Graves's account of the depletion of man, when separated from his land. It belongs to the third of many narrative chapters, which moves away from the social, economic and historical situations that shape the intercalary chapters to focus on the plight of individuals. At the beginning of Chapter Muley tells Tom that the Joads, as well as his own family, have been tractored off their land by the bank. [...]

[...] Indeed, on his land, Muley had his first sexual intercourse (l.3-5). He saw his father died on it (l.19-23) and his son being born 31). The lexicons of death and animality stress the idea that men are dehumanized. Muley has become damn ol' graveyard ghos'”, as he keeps repeating itself. He is that-is-to say he has lost his senses, which is the distinctive feature of man. In the same way, Tom is described by his “long teeth”(l.71) tearing out the meat. [...]

[...] He only lives in the moment. He is therefore eager to have supper because he feels hungry, as shown by the practical expression ”Jesus Christ, le's eat this meat ‘fore it's smaller'n a cooked mouse” (l.61-2), even if it implies disrupting Casy in his musing and Muley's in his discourse. Thus, through the sharing of a diner, Tom, Muley and Casy succeed in re-creating a bond based on solidarity. The text itself seems to reflect this new form of unity. [...]

[...] During this moment of gathering, Muley has the opportunity to express his feelings, which he had not done for a long time, as he recognizes himself: ain't talked to nobody for a long time” (l.51). Therefore, thanks to this short period of time, he is no longer on the side of animality but on that of humanity. Muley's discourse not only appears as a catharsis, that-is-to-say as an emotional relief enabling the latter to get rid of all his anger. Indeed, it also has an influence on Casy's theory of love, which was introduced in Chapter 4. [...]