Chapter twenty six conveys a tone of anger, sadness, and desperation. The Joad family's luck seems to run out. They must leave the government camp where they actually felt and were treated like real human beings. "'We gotta go,' he said. 'We didn' wanta go. It's nice here, an' folks is nice here. We're feared we'll have to go live in one a them Hoovervilles.' 'Well, if we got to, we got to. First thing is we got to eat.'" Their food is limited to two more days. They are forced to leave looking for work. A man comes by a tells them to work at Hooper Ranch where they will pick peaches. This seems to help their situation, but they quickly realize that this camp is not as good as the Weedpatch government camp. First, there are many guards casting a frightening look and an eerie aura on the Joad family. Next, the Joad family is housed in a dark gloomy house filled with dirt and grime. Their situation does not improve much as their pay drops from five cents a box to two and a half cents per box. Tom investigates the camp and finds Jim Casy setting up a strike. Casy and many men are desperate for food, better wages, and desperate to be treated like humans for once on their journey. Angry men come to stop his strike and in the midst of the tumult, Casy is killed, angering Tom more than ever. He attacks quickly, killing one man and causing the security to lock down on the ranch. Desperation led to anger, which led to sadness.
However, the conflict of this chapter is not the only way Steinbeck incorporates this gloomy tone. He also creates this tone of anger, sadness, and desperation through the imagery and the scenery. "The doors were dark. No one moved in the night. Al shut off his lights... A baby cried, in long jerking cackles, in one of the boxcars. A dog trotted out, sniffing and snorting, and moved slowly around the Joad truck. The tinkle of moving water came from the streambed."
No comments:
Post a Comment