Throughout this novel, Jim Holbrook battles extreme feelings of powerlessness as he moves from job to job, trying to provide for his family. He works for large companies that exploit, oppress and dehumanize their employees, giving them no opportunity to break free of the cycle of poverty. These men are voiceless bodies, used to perform a task to provide wealth for those that do not have to get their hands dirty. Olsen speaks for the coalminers by writing an imaginary letter that states “Dear Company. Your men are imprisoned in a tomb of hunger, of death wages. Your men are strangling for breath—the walls of your company town have clamped out the air of freedom.” These men serve faceless taskmasters that send their messengers to do their dirty work. The Grapes of Wrath, which takes place during the Great Depression, captures the frustrating relationship between big business and the individuals that they exploit. In the film, a company “representative” is sent to throw an impoverished family off of its land. The men express their frustration at not knowing who or how to fight for their cause by stating that “they got someone that knows what a shotgun’s for” and “then who do we shoot?” The first 2:10 minutes of clip.
Jim and Anna’s unfulfilled hopes and frustrated desires negatively manifest themselves in the lives of their children.
No comments:
Post a Comment