----ON “THE GRAPES OF WRATH”

06级英语2班   李玉丽   200630451290

Actually, I didn’t finish this book, I just read a selected chapters. After reading these chapters, I found some obvious changes of the people in this novel.

Firstly, the feelings of the migrant people towards the government and the society changed. From the chapter 29, we can know that when the flood comes, the migrant still hope the relief offices or the government could help them out of the starvation and cold, but after they know it is impossible to get any relief from the offices, they become hopeless and fearful, and the angry. They are hopeless as no one would rescue them, fearful as the rain seems without ending, angry as the government never cares about their migrants’ life. Their all feelings turn into anger at last. It shows at that time, the government didn’t play a role of helper to the citizens.

Secondly, the comfortable people’s feeling towards the migrant people changed as time goes by. Seeing those poor and hopeless migrants have to stand all the sufferings without aiding, they feel pity and sympathetic but no kindhearted help. Being bothered and threatened even stolen by the angry migrants, they begin to feel no pity but fearful and angry towards them. Fearful as their properties might be stolen, angry as the migrants’ behaviors are so annoying. The rich people’s selfish and cold blooded were showed without any hiding.

Thirdly, the women’s hope towards the men turned into disappointed. “The women watched the men, watched to see whether the beak had come at last. The women stood silently and watched. The fear went from their faces; the anger took its place. And the women sighed with relief. The break had not come; and the break would never come as long as fear could turn to wrath.” The women expect the men’s break actually, but after they found the fear and anger in the men’s faces, they knew that the men are not brave enough to have a break. They get relief, but disappointed at the same time. Maybe the women are thinking: “if the break comes, the government or the other people would pay more attention to us and would even to help us.” But the break doesn’t come; it means they are still in the same hopeless and desperate situation. The men were too desperate to forget to make a break.

Through chapter 30, we also can find some changes between the members of this family.

Firstly, the conversation between Ma and Mrs. Wainwright reflects that they begin to realize that they have no way out and they have to help each other in his disaster. “Everybody’s in the same wagon, worse off er get, the more we got to do.” In my opinion, this thought is sort of hope in their heart. Although without government’s aids, they are still hand in hand with each other and overcome the fear and hardship together. It gives us a very valuable lesson, doesn’t it?

Secondly, the most touching change is Roses Of Sharon puts everything away and begins to breastfeed a starving mature man. It must be a hard and embarrassing choice for her to make, because how could a young lady breastfeed an older man, especially just after she gave birth to a dead baby. Whatever, she makes a choice and doesn’t care about the embarrassment of doing such a unbelievable thing. In my eyes, her change is kind of hope to all of them too. Selfishness turns to selflessness and death turns to life. These are the signs of hope and triumph.

Through all those changes, we can find a lot of things that the author want to tell us, such as the hardship and oppression that the migrants suffered from the selfish government and the native people; the desperate hope in the migrants’ heart; the selfless nature of the kindhearted poor. This is really a worth-reading book.