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5 , 22/4/2010
( The Grapes of Wrath, 1940)
Topic of Saragossa-Teacher lecture: Passing.
Its a key element in Human Stain but also in To Kill a Mockingbird.
(When a black person passes as white, because of his color)

The movie was released 12 months after the book. It received many
nominations.
The movie is faithful to the book at the beginning.
Deconstruction of the American Dream, of the pursuit of a new life
in a promised land connecting point with Great Gatsby.
The connecting point in GG and GoW is in chronology. GoW follows
GG. Nick Carraway writes his account in 1922-23.
In the remaining years of the decade (22-29) things were more or
less the same (financially, socially, politically). After 29 things
changed The stocks market prices went down, financial disaster
=> The Great Depression. Suicide rates high. Consequences of the
Great Depression.
Natural phenomenon. the Dust Bowl dust all over. But Nature
was not the source of their problem. It was the combination of it
with the over-exploitation of the land. Land prices fell.
Another connection point of GG to GoW. (Chronology the
American Dream.. the hope for a chance. Gatsby makes it (through
other meansbut still). The family of GoW cannot make it because
of the problems.
Highway 66 towards California. A road trip much different to
Kerouacs On The Road.

Specific structure of the novel

Chapters and inter-chapters: The inter-chapters give the historical
parameters of the novel, while the chapters give the details of the
characters. The film is about the events in the lives of the main
characters. (The film neglects the anonymous farmers or the secondary
characters.) Pay attention to the opening lines. The opening lines give us a
description of the situation.

(Re-watching the film)

Drivers are important in this film. Drivers are mediators between
land owners and simple people.
Toms clothes are bigger and do not fit him because he just got out
of prison. It is important that he was in prison. This why he does not
know where his family is and for the further problems that will come
up; he is out on parole and the family does not know if Tom Joad can
follow them to California. It is also indicative of Toms violent
tendencies. This violence will find a social
rationale/justification/raison dtre; this character will become more
and more of a socialist. Violence for a reason. (At least this happens
in the novel, not in the film.) The novel has more political
implications than the film.
The film first was released in NY and not in California. They let the
rumor of the film precede the film itself.
Jim Casy is the moral voice of the novel used to be a preacher.
They talk with Tom. They also refer to the chief of the Joad family
that later loses his places to Ma.
Deserted landscapes... dust... darkness when Tom visits his house.
The whole scenery is created so as not to give the feeling to Tom of
being home. Instead, Tom finds a neighbor living at his familys
house.
In the book, Steinbeck takes pain to generalize and open up his
narrative, whereas in the film characters and situations find a face
and a specific name.
In the next episode, with the land owner, Tom tries to find whose
fault is it, someone to blame, someone to turn his anger to but, of
course, he cannot. Bending to touch and talk to the land strong
connection to the land (important for Steinbeck).
Shadows are important in the film. Characters lose their substance
and become their own shadows.
Mechanic invasion in the land.
Tom reunites with his family they live now to an uncle of his. We
are introduced to his family.

 In the novel, its not just the farmers and the owner companies, but
we also have the truck dealers, the drivers and many more levels of
social interaction and conflict. In the film, things are simplified.
In the GG, cars were important for their symbolic meaning. In GoW,
this happens too.
Ma says goodbye to stuff that cannot take with her to the trip.
In the next scene important for the novel and the film too they
decide to take the exp-preacher with them. In the novel, Pa
disagrees (one more mouth to feed etc) and Ma agrees and thinks
that the whole family has to decide. Even Tom in the novel has
objections. Each character has her specific role, which is more
evident in the book. In the film, things are different. Pa is the one
who says Why dont you come along? to show that he is the head
of the family.
Next scene: Grandpa refuses to follow, even though he seems eager
to do the trip.
Migrants: they do not belong, they have no home.
Next scene, Grandpa is dead. They leave a note on him, because
they have not enough money to bury him.
Next scene: everyone treats the family as beggars Do you have
any money? Are you planning to buy anything?
Next scene: the family approaches California; they do not like what
they see.
Next scene: Connie is one of the first that will abandon the family
(and her wife, Rose) because he gets disillusioned about the trip. He
goes back to Oklahoma to become a truck driver.
Next scene: a states stop between States for Inspection. Only Ma
knows that Grandma is dead. Ma takes the initiative to hide the
death of Grandma from the Inspection team but from the family too
(!) in order to pass the State Stop without problems. From this
point on starts a diversion from the novel.
There is a deliberate difference in the order of some events in order
to give an optimistic and positive finale.
Hooverville (camp) generic name for a place, even today. The name
comes from President Hoover of the era of Depression, who was
considered responsible.
In GGs times, President motto: the business of America is
business. Succeeded by Hoover. Succeeded by Roosevelt.
Roosevelt=New Deal, involvement of USA in international affairs,
steps to make USA a superpower.
First camp (in film): Hooverville. Hungry children all over.
Next-next scene: Casy fulfills his role as a moral centre.
In the next scene, the family goes to another camp (which is the
last in the book): Keen Ranch. In the film its the second to last.
Next scene: Tom wants to go for a walk in the night. The police
patrol does not allow that. But he does not follow these orders; he
leaves and meets JC, who now is the leader of the Strike Union.

 Chain of events that leads the family to leave the camp again and
go to the last camp. (The last one is the government camp; it really
existed at the time).
Ford sent detectives to find out if what Steinbeck described about
the camps was true (because he was afraid of the censorship). Not
only Steinbecks take on the situation of the camps was true, but
also it was milder. In reality, the situation was much worse for the
migrants there.
The conditions in the government camp are better, but there is no
work. (Ending for film, reason to leave the camp in the novel).
The police try to find an excuse to get in the camp. The agitators
are bribed to create havoc so as the police can enter the camp.
Next scene: (film) Tom is getting ready to go. Interaction with Ma.
Tom is wanted because he killed a man in the previous camp; he
has to go, even he would like to stay. Ma does not try to keep him
there this time. The future is open about what Tom can do; there is
hope. Famous speech: Wherever there is a strike, wherever there is
hunger... Ill be there Soon or later theyll get me. As long as Im
an outlaw, maybe I can do something ... Wherever there is a fight;
wherever there is cop beating a guy...Ill be there too. The
separation in the novel is a bit different. Ma has no tears to spare.
But then, the rain starts. It rains successively for 3 days =>flood
etc.
(novel) Rose of Sharon gives birth to a stillborn child (in a Pas
wooden box in the flood stream opposite symbolism/allusion to
Moses). But she gives her milk to nurture a dying old man who gave
all his food to a young boy to stay alive, in a barn which they after
the rain/flood.
The film ends as it began; similar imagery but with some
differences. Now the family goes north, but spirits are high, it is
daytime, Rose has not given birth yet, there is optimism and hope!
The land is not deserted, it is fertile
We are the people that live...We are the people. Optimistic,
enduring speech; people will survive.
Tuesday 27 April 9 Grapes of Wrath.