DEPARTMENT OF ENGLİSH

FACULTY OF LErTERS

UNİVERSİTY OF ISTANBUL

JOHN STEINBECK

and

"' THE GRAPES OF l'IRATH "'

Tezi yöneten:.

Prof. Sencer TONGUÇ

Şafak FENERCİOGLU.

T.ABLE O F C O N T E N T S

A-) Introduction

ı - Steınbeck! s. life 2 - Development of Steinbeck as a writer

B-) The Grapes of Wrath

a - Construction of the book b - steınbeck as a social reformer c - Steınbeck in Christian perspective what is

good and evil fer him

c-.) Bibliography,

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LİFE OF JOHN STEİNBECK.

Steinbeck was born in a small agricultural tradin center of Salinas~ in 1902. His father migrated from Florida during the civil war.

He went to Salinas High Scholl and graduated in 1919. During the fıve years of his twenties he attended

Stanford. In 1925 he left Stanford and made his first trip to New York. During these years he tried to estab­lish himself as a writer.

Betıveen the publication of his first two novels,

Steinbeck had been married Carol Henning, and they v:ent

ta settle in Greve. Before the publication of his third novel Steinbeck moved to Los Angeles but he did not stay there too long. In 1935 he made a long planned trip ta Mexico, but he found out that he could not Yıork tlıere sa

he decided ta settle in Los Gatos.

In 1936 he published '" In Dubious Ba~tle 11 which was about strike. That same year Air forse Army wanted him ta write a book about their training program as many American parents still feared flying.

In 1942 he divorced Carol Henning and he never

returned ta California again. Althoug~ he agent sometime in Hollywood vıorking on motion picture versions of his

own books he then lost contact with the people who pro­

vided material far his noveıs.

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In 1943 he married for the second time. During this marriage Steinbeck '· s only children Tom and John were born, In 1947 he made a triR to Russia with his friend, 1n order to provide material foran nı A Russian Jou.rnal " although it was written beautifully by Stein­beck, it failed to appeal to the public. In 1948 he divorced his second wife. And in 1950 he married Elaine Scıot.t, Steinbeck' s third marriage brought him out of his shell. In 1952 While he ıtas writing "' East of Eden n· he also began to write in Collier' amagazine, about Italian communists. In "'East of Eden "1 he wanted to recreate the history of his native region. During these years he did not gain enough from his books he fared better in the films.

Elia Kazan turned the last section of ''' East of Eden Into a film which was liked by too many people.

In 1955 he began to write editorials for the Saturday Revival, But his study did not appeal him.1956 he found his way to a new satirical style in his novels.

He was sometimes realistıc anol sametima roman­tic in his novels. His style was very clear, he never used long and camplex sentences his great novel nı Of mice and Men " helped him to be considered one of the greatest American writers. As the sıxties began stein­beck seemed a man more written about than writing. In 1961 he published n· The Winter of Our Discontent "' which was also his last novel. rn·. the novel he could

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not, keep his bearings the p_ost war world.

In 1967 he won the Nobel Prize, so he reached such heights that he always ımagined; in 1968 he died in New York ..

./ ..

DEVELOPMENT OF STEİNBECK AS A WRİTER ::

John Steinbeck, the dıstingurshed American novelst of the twentieth century, spent his early youth in Salinas California, his love for his homeland and ita people and his varıous experiences were later trans­ormed into a valuable background material for his lite­rary career. The tvıo important facts about the first phase of Steinbeck1 s life, that were his Californian and he wanted to be a serious writer. He tried too many jobs but he liked nan of them, then he began ta write because he enjoyed it.

He said: " My basic rationale mıght be that I like to write I feel good when I am doing it ••• bet­ter than when I am not. I find joy in the texture and shared love. If there have been difficulties and fai­lurea ovarcome these may even add to the satisfaction"

(1)

Although he was a small tavın boy Steinbeck 11-ved elese ta the country so he knew both life, vell, alsa he read widely. He tried to learn everything which was interesting for him~ He had too many experiences, he worked on ranches, joined a road building gang, worked in laboratory of a supar beet factory and even helped to build Madison Sguare Garden.

We can divide his literary career into three stages.;: as the novel dealing with romantic subjects,

./ .. (1) John steinbeck:: '" Rationale " A record of twenty

five years. P• 309

.. -_ . ....,

the novel concerning social problems and the novels wrth various eubjec±s such as marine biology and war. Although he wrote on too many subjects, all of them were not good at the same level. Critics had~. alvıays

been suspicious of his merit. 11: His novala since world

war II have failed to live up to his earlier works ıtı(C.)

When he began to write he feared whether his novels would be liked or not, so he prepared a book of short stories, after be was encouraged by an editor.

Steinbeck• s first attempt was the publication of ıı· A Cup of Gold 11 1 an adven forous Story of a Bucca­

neer Henry Morgan. The exiting adventures are narrated in a rather romantic mood. Gonsidering him a young inexperienced writer, the book muat not be called a complete failure, although it is learnt from his bio­graphical notes that it did not attain recognition. One of the critics shared the aame opinian, he observed that 11 A Cup of Gold ııı was not a great novel but it contained seme p_assages of good writing. It was juat a

start for him, and Steinbeck learnt much about for him, and Steinbeck learnt much about his craft from writing it. Also Lewis Gannet thought that it was difticult to speak well of the novel, according to him the dialogu~ es was unnatural, the charact.ers were two dimenaional, the style was exaggerated, and also the plot managed awkwardly, and the theme confused.

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(2). \Varren French~ " John Steinbeckc "• p,.8

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But. alsa Lewis Gannet said about the novel that. 111 yet no one can ignore it.' s importance both as a symbol of ita era and starting point of the author•s

future "(3)

After the publication of "' Cup_. of Gold ,.. Stein­beck kept on trying, four years later 11 The Paatures, of Heaven and T.o a God Unknown ıı: were published. ııı Ta

a God Unknown tells about the ramontic adventure of JoseP.h \Vayne and The Pastures.of Heavor is a differently constructed, it is a collection of twelve short stories. Ta a God Unknown which was his third novel did not imp­ress the public of the early thirties. Steinbeck.tried to show the orıgınal thesis that man and nature are essentially one.

The second stage in his literary career began with 111 Tortilla Flat n:. It consısts of short storiea, but in each story the characters Dany and his. firend and the theme of the story ıs. not lost.as it is in the u; Pastures of Heaven 11 1• We get a skillful comic style.

The behaviour of the Paısano' s may be funny however there is a deeper significance. ır Tortilla Flat ,,. expresses, the struggle between material success

and and goodness, symbolized in the career of Danny.

'" T.ortilla Flat " ınfluenced Steinbeck' s life as he gained more he began to live better.

./ .. (3), Joseph Fontenrose '" John Steinbeck "'P• 12.

'c The atruggle of siX years lead Steinbeck ta succesa, marked the end of his purely romantic themes~ and brought.him ta the point of dealing with the con­temporary subjects such as politics economics. So the book of transition n·, Tortilla Flat "' v.: leaves ita place

to the book of soval realism 111 In Dubious Battle 111•

On the second stage of his career steinbeck was observing, thinking and wt:iting. "' In Dubious Batt­le 11 · he had a very contemporary theme, telling about,

the strike and Steinbeck became the voice of the wor­kers. The book alsa ııuzzled the critics "'Altbough it describes the role of communist agita tora in an agri cultural strike, it was generally agreed that. it. was: not. a radicalor proletarian noveı. 111 ( 4}

Then he wrote n: Of Mice and Men "' the recepti-··

on of the novel waa the beat. In the book he tried to express man and his. relation ta the land. The un­forgettable friendshiıı of George and Lennie and their yearn ta own a little farm were told by Steinbeck cle­arly. Despite the sad events.of Mice and Man is nota tragedy but,a comedy. This is not,a s.tary of man' s

defeat at the hands o~ an implacable natura but man• a c.ongµest of this natura. " Although 11. Of mice and Men" lost the Pulitzer Prize ta Thorton Wilder• s 11 Our Tovm 11 ! it won the New York Drama Critic Circle 1 s. 11:

(4). Warren French "'op cit 11 p.62. (5). Warren French 11 op cit 11 p.24.

(5)

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Steinbeck's.: interest in the social probleme of man reaches ıts.: dimax~ in his master prece nı The Grap_es,

of Wrath "'• It is a crusading novel, farthful to soual realism, and concerned with the problems of the landless. farm labourers and the stary of a typical ııı Okie ,,.

family as it migrates ta Calıfornia. In 1939 "' The Gra­p_es of Wrath " was listed as the top seller. After this Steinbeck became a favourite of not only th• public but the great, He became friendly enough with President Roosevelt ta call at while House.

With the begining of World War II Steinbeck' a' literary career reached its third s.tage. In ''' The Moon is Doun 11, Steinbeck reilects war. It waa supposed ta deal with Nazi - Occupied Norway, although no specific. names were mentioned. During these years Steinbeck' s, subjec.t showed a shifting from agricultural themea to war time stories. As he lived during the war it was impossible for him not ta write about it.

Then he \vorked on 11; Cannery Rau.n It was an

elegy; with this book California phase a.f Steinbeck 1 s career ended. He also took material in the last daya of World Vlar II. A few years later ıt· East of Eden ı:tı and 111 Sweet Thursday 111 were published, these books dealt with California but less successfully when compared to his works of the 1930' s.

Stepby step he became one of the well-known writers in the world and he proved that he deseved this .

. ı ..

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title when he won the Literary Nobel Erize in 1967.

Aft.er accepting his prize he made a s.peech. In

his speech:: " he poınted ou.t the attitude that. charac­terizes his bet work, when he said that the writer is;

charged with exposing our many grievaus faults and failures and must give the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement. He continued ~

ııı I hold that a writer who does not beleive ın the per­fec.tibiliaty of man has no dedication, nar any members­hip in literature, man hımself has became our greatest hazard and our only hepe. ıı:

(6).

I have tried ta discuss Steinbeck. 1 s versatility as a writer and the three stages of his literary career. Novı I will try to deal with his great novel n· The Grap&s;

Wrath "' and steinbeck as a social reformer.

./ ..

(6). \Varren French and Walter Ekidd: 111 American Winners

of the Nobel Literary Prize 11 'P• 222.

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THE GRAPES OF WARTH :

A- CONSTRUCTİON OF THE BOOK•.

Steinbeck's greatest saccess at making people feel as he wished them to feel, came with ıı: The Grapes

of Wrath " in 1939, Wich Alexander Cawie describes in The Rise of The American novel as 11 a brilliant and powerful .. synthesis of most of the new features that. have any value in the fiction of the semıal period between the two ı,•ıorld vıars, Steinbeck has written not­

hing else as successful as this novel, nor does it seem

likely he Will. "'. :(7

)

The Grapes of Vlrath has been more eften discus­

sed thun any other of Steinbeck's novels. Novel has altracted p_robably as as large audience as any novel

about a serious contemporary theme. It consists of thirty chapters, and egually devided as the chapters narrating the story and the chapters of essays or ın­terchapter~. The essay chapters express the social and economic background of the story and are used as gene­ralization devices of the book. The interchapters have disturbed readers accustomed to conventional narrative forms.

Steinbeck's method of ınterrupting his main narrative with material that does not add directly to the history of the Joad family especially upsets those

.ı ..

(7), Warren French:. '" John Steinbeck '" p.35.

who think a story teller•e duty is to get. on with the atory or those fanaLics about organic form who are in­disposed agains t ehifls in style and subject. If Ste­inbeck had only narrated the story, the realism and

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the shocking power of the nov.el \Vould not have escaped, but surely would not have reached its hıghest quality.

The greatest skill - in the conshuction of the novel is the appropria te placement of the interchap_ı­

ters and the story without the ıoss of the theme. Some of these chapters describe the historical, social and economic aspect and pıcture a vivid scene about the sufterings of the migrants. Each chapter of the Joad Story is paired With the preceeding interchapter and both of them make the same point - one about conditions

and one about how they affected the Joads "• (B)

Chapter nineteen ıllustrates the historical and agricultural background of Calıfornia and explaina the causes of migration. The hoatility of the policemen and of the residents that the migrants have experienced in the previous story - chapters are resentfully critici­sed in this chapter n~ \Ve aint foreign ıı. Seven genera­tions back Americans and, the Irısh, Scotch, English G_erman. One of our folks in the revolution, and they were lost of our folks in the civil war - both sides Americans. 11 ~ 9 ) 111 The style of writing in the essay chap­ters varies with the subject as typical essays, dialo-

./ .. ( 8). Warren French " John Stein beck " p. 96. (9). John Steinbeck " The Grapes of Wrath " P• 214.

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gues in Okie speech, the Stream of consciousness in ona' s mind and as chapters of literary poetic qualitynt.

(10)

In the novel considering both the essay and the story chapters, are sımple but clever, well chosen and atrong vıords and seııtences denote Stexinbeclt ı a, excellent

use of English. In his usage of southern dialect and the negro speech resembles Mark Twain, Steinbeck 1 s usa­ge of Okie' s speech is faithful to itffiorigin too. The beautiful descriptive passages elevate the literary quality of the novel.

111 T_o the red country and p_art of the grey country of Oklahama, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth. The ploughs crossed:and reuarsed the rivalet marka, The last rains lifted the corn quickly and scat­tered Weed colonies and grass along the sides of the reads, 50 that the grey coüntry and the dark reol country began to diaopp.ear under agreen cover. 11 (ll)

The Grapesof Wrath narrates the story of the Joad family as they migrate from Oklahoma to California­a land of future promises and dreams. This typical Okie family is a representative of the many other families of theis kind who were forced to take the same journey

during the l930•s. The Joad story centers, like the

(10). John Steinbeck " The Grapes of Wrath ".p.214. (11). John Steinbeck 1' op cit " p_.5.

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forgetten Village, around one family.

Steinbeck had used his characters in such a wa:y

that they help_ the novel to be more important. Tam Jaads, one of the sons of the Joads, vıas released pris.on on parole and on his return heme he finds a deserted house and a deserted community. The story develops with find­ding his family, learning the causes of the unexpected journey and Casy•s joining to the family on their wes­tward trial. The Joads leave Oklahoma with a very limited budget and an old Hudson sedan converted intu a truck.

Land owners became migrants, they were driven otlit, their land because of tvıo reasons.:: the natural disaster of the unfertility of the land and the econo­mic force of the growing mechanical agricultural system. Drought Winds, storms had spoilt the crops::11During the night the wind raced faater over the land and the corn fought the wind With ita weakened leaves 1 until the roots were freed by the wind ıı(ız) ııı These hard preased people met the immediale responae of the banks ar the finanse companies, because such companies were like mons­ters and they breathe profits, they eat the interest on

money "' (l3 ) So the farmers should do something in order to live.

The great Western road 66 was full of dispos~ sessed mıgrants. Each nıght groups of families settled on the roadsides and wrth each day, a new spring of

./ .. (12). John Steinbeck op. cit, p.6.

(13). İbid p.31.

hope f~lled the hearts, because they were nearer to their Utopia. The journey was, a hard one. Both grand­paren ta died on the way, Noah and Connie deserted

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the faıııily and the problem of hunger was always.present. In Calıfornia they were treated almost like animals. The only place where they reel like human beıngs in the ğ9vnrnment camp, an organized democrati~ camp, buılt up_on cooperation and resp.ects far the rights of the

people But.the camp provided only sanitary lıving condi­tions and no jobs. for the families, so the Joada.hadto ıeove the camp. On the other hand, the climate of Cali­fornia offered work only for a limited period of time and also there were many people who needed work despe­rately, "· When such a job was done in that part of the country, all the jobs_. vıere likely to be done too. Be­

cause of the heavy sp_ecia lization all the cropa of a

region were likely to ripen at. the same time "'• (l4 )

The Joads lived soma happy hours when work was. found, but &ven then, With all the members of the fa­mily working the payment was too law ta main tain a full day 1·s; food. But the human vıill and power to suru ...... ive was too strong in1hese people white each day the misfortunes added up.

Rose of sharon giving birth to a dead child, casy 1 s arrest, Tam getting into a trouble and having to lea'We the family are tlıe concluding events of the story. The story of the mıgratıng Joads ende with a beautıfıl symbolic picture c Rose of sharon is nursing

./ .. (14), Nelson Manfred Blake: Novelists 1 America Fiction

As History P.149

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and old dying man. What the Joads will do, how their fıght will end depends spon their endurance and adapta­bility to nature and community.

Steinbeck' s; c.onduaion in this manner is symbo­lic, widely seen in most of his book, The way of ending mak.es the story dynamic. If the Joads had succeeded or failed then the story•s sociologıcal part would be comple ted, but stenbeck is trying to tell us that the problems of the mıgrants have not yet been solved:: "' a social reform is greatly needed and therefore he leaves the rest of the story to his characters because they have matured, their education is comple ted, they hav~ triumphed over familiar prejudi~es. n· (l

5)

Steinbeck•s characters are simple people, like the9'l in of Mice and Men Tortilla Flat and The Pastures; of Heaven he makas no effort to create heroea. aut of them. He is discussing them just as human beings With their weak. and strong p_art. He saya_ ::

11 The p_eople in distress themsel ves, begin to ponder causes, the wrighta. and wrongs of the case, and they de­v.elope theories. Their theories may not be sicientıfic, but they have the merit of grawing out of a real expe­

rience. "' (l6 )

(15). Warren French op.cit. p.107.

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(16). Joseph Warren Beach: Art and Propaganda " Steinbeck

and His Critis p.251.

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All the characters in The Grapes of Wrath !!9

through a struggle in two ways:: a struggle within them­seıves and within the community. The family concep_t, of

the Joads broadens_. to a group organism. Mother Joad,

referred to as_. Ma and is. the leader of the family physi;

cally and P.sychologically. She s_upports and encaurages

every member. Her efforts to keep the family together is.the root of working asa graup and helping one anot­her, which later will flourish in to a group organism aft.er the hard experiences Like Lennie 1 s dream of Owing a little farın in of ıı: Mice and Men 11 ~ Ma dreams a little

white houss where she can shelter her family. Both dreams reflect the unıversal yearnıng of mankind far indepesdence ownership, security and papp_iness.

Tam is a elese companıon and a support to Ma. They help_ each other, and their dıalagul consist in aph1losophy born eut of distress. Tom is tryıng hard to atay dway from trouble however he cannot.

Jj_m Casy, the former preacher, r.ep_resenta Steinbeck 1 s rejection of conventional relıgion. Casy realised that his actions and his work.did not have a common feature, on the contrary, they were two opposite poles, His inner struggle was ta gınd what.the holy s.pirit meant ta him:: He says, in the book lika that. t.

n: I

and

fıggered about the Holy Sperit the Jeaus

Why do

Jesus?

we got

May be

road. ı. fıggered :.

to hand it on God or

I fıggered may be ıts

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all men and women we love:: That' s

the holy sperit - May be all men got one bigsoul eve 1body 1 s apart~ of• nr

(17)

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At this point:Casy•s struggle With socıal prob­lema start, He takes;the fault of Tom on himself and arrested;: then heL ~oins a group of social reformers. and is killed for the ideal he fight for,

Rose of Sharon is introduced as a child-woman:: nervoua because of her pregnancy . ., and thınking only of her future child:~ She is ırresponsible and unaware of social problems. She becomess a mature woman after her husband•s departure: and, reaches; hıghMt point. with tim birth of her dead child, and the concluoling seen of the noveı.

The two grandp.arents exp_ress the common charac­teristic of old age, Both tired through the years, they are stubborn and childlike not much different from Ruthie and Winfred, but unlike the young generation, they cannot endure the hard and long journey and die on the way.

Tweıve year old Ruthie and ten year old Winfreld show the natural and typıcal responses ta various sit~u­atinns, like children of their own age group, but unlike the fortunate ones they taste hunger and experience

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(17), John Steinbeck '" op cit, " p,24,

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struggle for s.urvival much earlier. Accordingly their

characters \Vill mold differently \'lhich la ter, mıght, be

a trouble ta society, and society \VOuld be res.ponsible

for it.

The two run aways are Noah and Connie - the hard ships and responsibility of the \vest vıard jov.iney

was, beyond their vıish and effort. \Vhile the others_

endured Noah and Connie departed. This is Steinbeck 1 s.

realistic analysis of humarı character, that in some people the weak..parts dominate over the strong motives.

In Uncle John's continous suffering and blaming himself over his wife 1 s death Steinbeck discussen the religious theme of sin. l1entıoned in the story at fre­

guent intensals. Steinbeck has on optimistic app_roack

to the s_ubjectv - matter and discusses it as a psycholo­

gical respon sibility. In The Grapes of \Vrath the other

characters in the camp, and on the roads - mıgrants,

statesmen polıce, landowners, employees of banks and finance companies are all portrayed vavidly. Steinbeck tried to to help those people to see themselves as they are. "'. (18)

Steinbeck has besn egually saccessful in pHre­

senting every type of character in The Grapes of Vrath: The old and the young, men and \VOmen,: healty and ill,

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(18). \Varren French 11 ' John Steinbeck11 : p.99.

the good and the bad, the strong and the weak. Stein­

beck had made his. novel sımultaneoudy general by this vıay.

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B- STEİNBECK. AS A SOCİAL REFDRMER

The Grapea.of Wrath Which is considered Stein­beck•s masterpiece not only marks the high point. of it•s author ı·s career but, the elese of an era in American

history and literature. In 193.0's economical and natural reasons caused a dis contentment both among migrants and Calıfornians Time had changed, industrial progresro was increasing, seme peaRle became rich and others,poor. The p_oor had no right to live, in the country only the clever busineasmen and the investors held power and autority. This powerful group relied on labourers. So the labourers played an important part in the growuth of big business ;· but the resul ts were not_ good for

workers, becuse they were considered below a certain level and they were paid extremely low wages. Business­men gained lot 2hi1Je the poor workers.:earned little money which was not egual to their ·Work. If they had been P.aid reasonable wages, and had been treatud humanly. '.Dhe result wnuld be succ_essful.

Some rıghts had to be given to the labourers such as the right ta organise, to strike ınsurance and safe sanitary working The Story narrated in The Grapes of Wrath is a vivid picture of the sufferings:of the migrants who vıould have been content with a normal standard of living. steinbeck had ınvestigated and known the pleasures and sorrows of the lower classes •

. ı ..

He was:a social reformer nota revolutionist he wanted a just a.ociety where everyone woUld be happy. u: Far

Steinbeck, the glow.of human brotherhood is the desired end of mankind 1 s struggle for peace and happiness, yet of ten man•a failure to achieve even the slıghtest earthy reward result ce than from hia:own

less

lack from evil as an external of understanding,"' (l

9)

for-

The tenant system began to disappear while the mechanical agricultural stystem was_, growing. Tenants,

needed money in order to fight the calamitrea of nature so they had to borrow · but they were unable to pay their dept, the banks and the financ:e cnmpanies thrus­tBd. them off their landa:· Also one man on a tractor

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can taka the place of twelve or fourteen families. The best thing to be done was to provide a tractor for the­se families withou.t taking their landa, but it did not. ece.ur like that. Land meant sa much to these people they were happy to fight with nature as long as the land was. theirB. "' Being born on it, dying on it. That .. makes ownership, not a paper with numbers on it.ur (20)

The tcnants became migrants when their lands \Vere taking away, because of human will and hepe in the future. Although their journey was full of obstacles they did not change their goal, But how could they know

./ .. (19) John Clark Pratt 11 · John Steinbeck 11 anderitical essay11 p.33 (20) John Steinbeck 11 The Grapes of Wrath "• p.31,

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that. the situation in Calıfornia was worse, there \Vas

not a place or organization to help them get joba, Ona could be considered lucky ıf he found a j>b for a cauple of days,, and also they had to accept the lowest vıages, as they· needed money desperately.

In such a bad situation Steinbeck emphasized in Fhe Grapes of Wrath that " people must keep moving and not. surrender to despair. ııı ( 2l)

The policy of the owners was to taka the person who was content \vith the lowest wage: n· this was good,

for wages went down and pricea stayed up. The great ovroers were glad and they sent out:: mOI'e handbills to biring more peop).e in, and soon we •ıı have serfs. again"1

By writing the attitudes of the owners to the labou- (22 ) rers "Steinbeck trias to show as that good people did not get a fair treatment.

Okies also weren•t liked by Calıfornians as they competed with them. Okies were p_oor so the businessmen or the atorekeepers had no benefit in this addition of p_oor population;: and far the others Okies were a graup_· of people who were dirty and not dreased well, No ene considered them as, humans in California '" Them God-damn Okies got na sense and no feeling. They aint human. A human beıng wouuldist live like theydo, Thoy ain 1 t a hell better than gorillas, 11 ( 23 )

(21) Warren French '" John Steinbeck 11 p,34, (22) John Steinbeck 11 op cit '" p,32, (23) John Steinbeck 11 op cit 11 p, 260.

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steinbeck tries to change this idea, Althaugh theae people are dirty they are lovable and good, if they

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had a comfortable journey if they had stayed in hotels With water they wouldn't be dirty. Their journey was hard, they had to live near road-sides, and they sett­led in unsanitary camps as they had no enough money, ın other words they had no money to spend. Gorillas wouldrit know cleanliness so they would not apprescite water. But Okies were so happy because they could ap­preciate they things offered to them. Steinbecek shawed th:is in Ma' s joy in finding \Va ter and Rose ıs reaction

to it. ıııpraise God, we come home to our own people,

I' magonna have a batlı. " (24)

Steinbeck points oUt tricks and society's at­titude of taking advantage of the poor people:· According to hım Selfıshness has ta be cut aut. He was .. against

people \vho trias to find aut others desperation in or­der to deceive them. In the book.when a tire has to be changed in order to continve the jaurney businessmen get enormous profits because they know that these pe­ople need a tire " We got to have a tire, but Jesus they vıant a lot for an ol 1 tire. They look a fella over. They know he got to go on, They know he can•t wait and the price goes up. "' (25)

This system works wrong and spoils not only society but alsa mankind. The povıer of money and idea,

(24). John Steinbeck. 11 op cit 11 p.203. (25). John steinbeck, il• op cit il p.110,

.ı ..

everybody is doing it ıvhy shouldn•t I began ta exist in every human being. The fault is not with business­men but with souety. " That•s what ımportanl you go steal that tire an• you•re a thiOf, but he tried to steal your four dollars far a busted tire. Nuy call

- 24 -

that sound business. " C?G) In such a society peace should not be expected. Steinbeck developed this prob­lem in The Grapes of Wrath f~om his personel investi­gation. From the earlier years of his life, he lived and shared the lives of the lover classes. 11 Their struggle far survival inspired him. '" (27 ) Steinbeck knows lower classes way of living as his association with vıorking men began while he was at scholl.

Steinbeck spoke in the favour of necessity re­form when agricultural probleme arose in the country, thraugh his fıction. 111 Steinbeck does not wish the ıı have nots 11 ta destroy and supplant the 11 havea 11· ;:

he wishas the 11 haves 11 ' to expand their system to offer ite benefits to the " hava nots " • (28)

Steinbeck ıoved people, and he felt himself happy when he saw them happy so he wanted social reform ta gıve the people better li~e. Men should gain his natural rıght sach as sanitary living and ıvorking con­ditions, steady ~obs and security far the future. These

(26).

(27).

.; .. John Steinbeck 11 op et " p.ııı. Joseph Henry Jackson _n:rnroduction ıı The portable Steinbeck ed, Pascal Cevici The Viking Press.N.Y.p.Lıl

(28). Warren French. " John Steinbeck " p.99.

- 25 -

could seperate men from animals. Steinbeck decply bele­ued in the brot herhodd of men. He didrit want to see forgotten people wandering desperately. According ta him if. Society can not be organized far humans, each coming day more people all over the world will conti­nue to suffer and anxiety will threaten the vıhole world.

Steinbeck was blaming society far the unjust.­

treatment of the lower classes. He usas asking far a reform in favor of the natural rıghts of the people.He beleived that if such reform was done the unhappines of the forgotten people;: and anxrety and uneasiness wauld dissapear and as a conclusion the name of the book The Grapes, of happmess.

STEİNBECK İN CHRİSTİAN PERSPECTİVE (V/HAT İS GOOD AND EVİL)

Steinbeck used the conflict of good and ev.il nearly in all his books. Steinbeck•s novels show the ımmortality of virtue, but in contrast ta christian parable, for inatance, virtue does_. not often triumph in the end, For Steinbeck evil did not exist ındepen­dently, neither did it result from thee logıcal expla­nation as original sin. He believed that_ evil was cau­sed by man's tendency ta mısunderstand his heritage and ta approach his_ environmert selfishly. In ıır Sea of Cor­tez " He scud that althouğh man did love goodness, he sometimes envied bad. Indeed it is eften difficult, far man to dıs.tinguisk good from evil, he thought. In his

novels he wanted ta güc, he ımpression that man himself creates the elemente of his ourn nı absurd 111 mısunder­

standing. So Steinbeck can be considered such a thinker that he was interested in dıstıngwshing between chris­tian vestment and Christianity's absolute position in the apex: of man 1 s, atlempts to define and control man' s: relationship to his God,

Steınbeck had attacked some of the formal relı­grous tradition atthough he had a Christian philosophy. Sin, as well as its expiation, is the sole responsibi­lity of the ındividual and it is only man ~ho can refire hımself possessed with full awareness.

.ı ..

26 -

For Steınbeck, all sin is relative In his no­vel "'Cup, of Gold" Steinbeck•s attitude toward sin is

elearly defined by his description of the peculiar S\Vearing af sailori!• Far Steınbeck a life without sin

- 27 -

is ımpossible, man should learn to understand and exists. with it.

11 Only those v•ho approach sin with the attitu-

de of tlıe Cup of Gold' s ship captain are condemned::

those who them selves become forces of evil by basing their lıves eithe on their fear ar exaltation of sin. 111(

29)

In this lıght the greedy priest of ıı The Pearl ıı;

drives his livelihood from the exploitation of sin and interests in money as. a me ans __ ta his; ourn sal vation;,·

he is as evil as satan.

Steınbeck believed that na ene can be free af­ter a sin, without punishment. To assume man, a perfect animal is false optimism for Steınbe ek. For instance of human punishment for humansin. And Steınheck tried to sho\V that evil can not be conquered by poıver and unfortunately the demands of society permit sin.

(29). John Clark Pratt "' John Steinbeck" p,35,

- 28 -

B I B L İ O G R A P H Y

Prımary Sources,

Steınbeck John

steınbeck John

Steınbeck John

steınbeck John

Steınbeck John

steınbeck John

steınbeck John

Steınbeck John

. •

• •

. •·

. •

. .

• •

• •

ıı: The Pastures of Heaven 11 Gorgi books •

Transworld Publishers L.td Landon 1970

" Tortilla Flat " The Viking p_ress New

York 1935

ııı In Dubious Battle ıı- The Viking Portable

library New York 1946

11 The Gropes. of Wrath 111 \Villiam Heinmann

L.td. Middlesex 1969

" Of Mice of Men "' The Viking Portable Library N.Y. 1946

n The Moon is Dourn 11 The continantal

Book Company A.B. Stockholm 1942

" Sweet Thursday 11 ' Fan Books Ltd Landon

1969

nı Cannery Row. 11 • \Villiam Heinmann L. td

Landon 1945

- 29 -

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

Secondary Sourc:es.:

Beach Warren .French

Fontenrose Joseph

French V/arren G.

:~ 11 1 Art and Propagand 11 , Steınbeck

and his critics: A record of twenty­fıve years Ed., E.\11. Tedlocak. and c.v. Wicker. Univereity of New Mexico Prese, Albuguer gue, 1957.

: ı' John Steinbeck 11 An Inroduction

and interpretation, Barners and Nob­le ine New York. 1969

: 111 John Steınbeck 11 Twayne Fablishers

Inc. New York 1961

French Vl.G and Kidded~ :: n American Winners of the Nobel

Lilerary Prize."' Uni ver si ty of Okla­homa Prese - Oklahoma 1968

Gannet Lewis : ıı Inroduction tt; The patable Steın­

beck. Ed. Pascal Gevici The Viking Press Nevı York 1946

Jackson Joaeph Henry :: '' Inroduction ıı The P.ortable Steın­beck Ed. Paecal Covici The Vikıng Prese New York 1943