"The cycle of poverty imposed on the Okies contained a seasonal period of starvation during the rainy season. Water again, this time through super-abundance, became the immediate threat to the Okies' survival."
~page 89 of David Cassuto's "Turning Wine into Water: Water as Privileged Signifier in The Grapes of Wrath"
It's interesting how this works. Within the novel, both the absence and the presence of rain cause a problem. Granted, this is because in both cases are extreme cases, but if I'm remembering correctly, there was no middle ground within the novel. It only included these two extremes. It goes to show that too much of anything can be bad--in this case either too much dry weather or too much rain.
Comments (1)
I completely agree. Steinbeck had no moderation in his novel. He either went for all or nothing. I believe that this was why it was such a successful novel, it played perfectly into peoples emotions. The constant ups and downs encouraged readers to keep reading in order to find the next drastic change.
Posted by Rebecca Marrie | March 21, 2009 10:14 PM
Posted on March 21, 2009 22:14