John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath : “The Monster’s sick”

John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Excerpt n°1 : “The Monster’s sick”

Read lines 1 to 5.

1) Who are “the squatting men”?

"The squatting men" are the farmers from Oklahoma, they are tenants of a land owned by a bank.

That are so sad and angry to be evicted of their native land by the bank, they squat at the soil to touch the land of their ancestors.

2) What are they talking about?

They are talking about cotton, the World War and the Great Depression. They hope that the price of cotton will be better.

3) What can you notice about the style of this passage?

There are a lot of rhetorical questions unanswered. The narrator, probably a farmer, wonders about the future.

4) Can you imagine what moment this scene corresponds to in the novel?

These scene could corresponds to the moment that the farmer makes a flashback and remembers the first time the banker came to say him he will soon be evicted.

Read lines 6 to 8.

5) Who is “we”?

"We" designates the banker.

6) What is the lexical field used?

The lexical field used is the lexical of the money, the bank : "bank"; "profit"; "taxes".

7) Who/What is “the monster”?

"The monster" is the bank, the company, it does not designate any a natural person.

Read the rest of the text

8) l.9-12 describe the tenants’ living conditions

They are in lack of food: "half straved", "the kids are hungry all the time".

They live in poor conditions "we got no clothes, torn an' ragged".

9) l.13-21 What do the “owner men” plan on doing?

The plan consists to replace twelve or fourteen farmer's family by one man with a tractor. The bank has only to pay a salary and to take all the crop. It consists also to make the most of cotton and when the soil will be dry and poor, the bank will sell the lands to families from east who want a piece of land.

10) In what precise physical postures are the “tenant men” and “the owner men”? Does this change during the conversation? If so, what triggers off this change?

The tenant men stood beside the cars for a while, and then squatted on their hams.

The owner men are in their convertibles and they stay sit during all the conversation.

This change shows that the situation of owner men has not changed while that of men has changed into.

11) What link can you make between the postures they adopt and the balance of power between the two parties?

We suppose that the tenant men don't have any power against the bank and the banker don't care about the tenant men.

12) How many generations have lived on this land?

4 generations have lived on this land : the "Grampa"; "Pa was born here" ; " An' we was born here" ;"our children born here"

13) Find examples in the text showing that the “owner men” don’t acknowledge their responsibility.

The owner men don't acknowledge their responsibility : "We don't like to do it";

"It's not us, it's the bank";

"We're sorry. It's not us."

14) What is the tenants’ ultimate idea?

The tenants will fight if necessary to keep their land, "like Pa and Grampa did" and they will shoot with their gun in last resort.

15) What solution do the “owner men” suggest?

The owner men suggest to the tenants to go in California, they said "there is work and it never gets cold".

16) What is being criticized? What is Steinbeck’s goal?

Steinbeck wants to show us how the banks don't care about the little farmers and how banks only want what produces the most. They are evicting them to use intensive agriculture, which is also criticized there. He wants also to show us how difficult was the life for the farmers during the beginnings of intensive agriculture.