Bonjour! I'm well-rested and restored and back in black.
Last night was so frustrating in the sense that my electricity went out for more than 12 hours, thus no heating system, no microwaves, no television or internet. Of course I was irritated at first; I couldn't even study in the candlelight.
But there is this serene silence that prances in the air once all technological distractions fade away. I think this experience was a precedent. Here I was, candlesticks set on the wooden living room table (which was a little scary, I have to admit), with no concept of time. I simply dived into the introduction of the Grapes of Wrath, which was 40-something pages long. I didn't think it would take such a long time to read, but amidst the hysteria, namely my parents and the rich text, night faded into twilight.
It is here that the struggles of Steinbeck were revealed to the readers. It is here where I understood the complexity and dimensions of the novel. The introduction dissects the work into several layers, working through the author-novel connection (in which Steinbeck wanted to keep at a minimum), the plight of the migrant workers, the incredibly realistic, poetic, metaphoric writing that blends both the hardships of one family and short anecdotes.
Steinbeck zooms in on one family, yet they are a representation of the hundreds and thousands of Dust Bowl migrants, and also a symbol of exodus throughout history. Our daily concerns and worries seem so trivial compared to the trials and tribulations of such people, and really, the struggles of peoples around the world throughout history.
It is great fiction that makes us question the dimensions of fiction and urges us to apply its concerns to our own environment. Like many great novels, The Grapes of Wrath does not contain only a solution, but a lingering question that will never settle or sink or disappear unless we choose to put an end to the chaos that exists within.
