May 27 2009
Contest Entry: The Grapes of Wrath
Review by Savannah D.
Have you ever wondered how the night life of a field mouse could be so interesting? John Steinbeck, expert of imagery, can make a field mouse’s night life seem important and interesting. Some think that his writing is very slow and detailed, but I think it’s a style that makes you want to read more and really find out what happens.
When Steinbeck writes, he really tries to make the image of the setting or of the character in the reader’s head. When he is describing the setting, he will describe in deep detail. The imagery he creates is so diverse, it expands from the condition of the petrified, mistreated crops on the near-by field, to how desolate the gas station looks to a passing family on the highway. When he describes the characters or the scene, what allows you to picture it in your head is the immense amount of detail.
It’s almost as if he wanted to be a scientist instead of a writer. His attention to nature is simply colossal. He loves to draw the attention of the reader away from the plot in the middle of the story to concentrate on a very minor detail that’s probably more prominent in his eyes. I like it when he decrypts every detail of nature because it helps me picture it as if it were a motion picture. And because of the many minor details, the panorama is better appreciated; in the same way a blind man appreciates music. His attention to nature definitely makes me value the environment more. I notice how the animals around us are affecting our ecosystem and that humans can relate to animals in the same way, such as starvation. I have learned that the Earth and humans are connected in a way, where we have to work together as one, to survive.
“In the water-cut gullies the earth dusted down in dry little streams. Gophers and ant lions started small avalanches. And as the sharp sun struck day after day, the leaves of the young corn became less stiff and erect; they bent in a curve at first, and then, as the central ribs of strength grew weak, each leaf tilted downward.”
This quote is especially meaningful to me. Normally, when a person lives life, they don’t stop to think about components of nature and wildlife, and the fact that they’re living in the same world as us. This quote really shows how our human lives aren’t the only lives that exist and that the earth doesn’t revolve around us. It’s a great lesson he portrayed because we are always entangled in our own lives so our minds are blind and think about what is going on in the outside world. It’s really egotistical of us to think of only ourselves and not the world around us. It made me stop for a second and really take in the descriptions and I really thought about what is probably going on in all the rivers. This is just one example from the abundance of themes Steinbeck portrays in the novel.
Steinbeck is a master at imagery. He revokes an image into your mind that is dreadfully vivid. The daily life of a gopher is exemplified as something worthwhile to read. I think that words, which provoke imagery, are a really important technique to have in books because without it, it would become a textbook. A piece of writing can only be called great literature if it involves personification to the point where you have to wonder if there really is a “talking sun,” or “a hand with its own mind.”
Rachel’s Note: In her review, Savannah concentrates on Steibeck’s use of detail and the way it can open up a fascinating new world — our own — to us. Literature is powerful when it makes us see our lives and surroundings in totally new ways. Savannah does a great job of using quotes and opinions to point that out. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Second Note: This is one of two reviews which were ineligible for judging because no age was given for the reviewer. I’m glad to share it with my readers regardless. Enjoy!
