1982. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Choose a work of literary merit that confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.
In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Jim Casy evolves into the voice of the oppressed and downtrodden farmers of the Dust Bowl. As a former preacher, he utilizes his natural skill as an orator to express the feelings of those around him into poignant and powerful words. Eventually though, his beliefs place him in conflict with strike breakers and labor bosses, who exploit their workers. He is shot down, which prompts Tom Joad to kill the man who shot Casy. The act of violence serves as a metaphor for the struggle between the common people and those who would stifle their voice. Even though the voice of one man is silenced, it is impossible to overcome the voice of the people when they unite.
A motif throughout the Grapes of Wrath is the conflict between the wealthy and the destitute. Steinbeck shows both poles of the human spirit; those who can run over a starving dog and keep driving as if nothing happened, and those who sacrifice their own life to protect the less fortunate. Ma Joad gives whatever she can to the starving children of their camp, while the owners of the peach farm are willing to suck their workers of every last dime. This motif is in the novels introduction as well, showing how there are people who will go out of their way to hurt an innocent turtle, and those who swerve out of its way.
Jim Casy is the spokesperson of the poor and helpless migrants, and so the act of violence against him by the strike breakers symbolically represents the fight against the migrant workers. Though reluctant at first, Casy is able to speak for the powerless migrants who do not have a voice. The administration of the peach farm, the powerful and wealthy, try to silence Casy in the most complete way possible; by killing him. In the end though, they aren’t successful. They do kill Casey, but they also turn him into a martyr, inspiring Tom Joad to take his place and to fight back against the corrupt and evil, to fight for the people that need him. Steinbeck uses an act of violence to represent the struggle of ideas and people.
Again, I would have liked to see an opening sentence before you jump right into talking about the book. At first, I did not understand how you would fit the book Grapes of Wrath to the prompt, but it seemed to work after you explained it. I know that we were taught to use plain style to get the point across, but make sure that you're not being to direct because some parts seemed a little bit blunt. Other than that, nice job!
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