Chapter 2 and 4 are told from Tom Joad's point of view. Tom is out of jail and on parole trying to go home. The prison gave him new clothes to wear (Steinbeck 6) which was done with good intentions, but an ex-convict wearing fancy new clothes and shoes during a Depression just has to end up badly. A thug, burglar, and/or person hiding in a dark alley tries to take the new clothes or shoes from the ex-convict, the ex-convict defends himself, the ex-convict breaks his parole, then he ends up back in jail. That is just setting the ex-con up for failure. At the end of the forth chapter Tom finds his house abandoned. By one of the many rules of writing a book (I have determined that almost all of the books that I have read were written according to some secret author code that has rules that authors have to follow, because it can't be a ridiculously large coincidence that crappy stuff always happens to the protagonist or if one good thing happens, imaginary dominoes fall and a bunch of bad events are in the protagonist's future), the main character cannot leave a bad place (jail) and go to a good place (childhood home with whole family at the residence) without some sort of hitch. Tom got a ride, therefore his family can't be at home waiting for Tom. No protagonist's journey is easy. If that were the case, The Odyssey would have been a short tale of a man who goes off to war, becomes a hero, and returns home to his loving wife and son, as opposed to a really long tale that involves a ten year detour, then when he makes it home he has to fight for his wife, and then finally lives happily ever after. No one would read a story with no conflict. That wouldn't be very entertaining. Which is why all authors have unfortunate things happen to their protagonist, whose lives are never easy.
Also in chapter 4, the turtle from the previous chapter makes an appearance! Tom picks him up and is going to give the turtle to his brother as a present (Steinbeck 21). The turtle tries to escape the cloth cage, but fails. That has to be a symbol for something. From what I have read so far, I believe it is either a symbol of suppression of people by the banks (the banks kicking people off their land and not caring if they die) or the hard times that people have to endure before they escape to their freedom.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Grapes of Wrath Chapters 1 and 3
Since this book has chapters (Old Man and the Sea was just 127 pages of a run-on paragraph) I will break the book up into parts and write about them, then do the questions at the end when I finish the book.
After an hour of reading The Grapes of Wrath, I had a flashback to the Lord of the Rings books. In both books there was a ton of detail describing the land and the world that the book takes place in. The LOTR books were good, don't get me wrong, but there was sooo much detail. I was really hoping that John Steinbeck wouldn't pull a Tolkien and describe Oklahoma and everyone else on the road to California with so much detail that I could know what kind of bush (and the condition of the leaves) that the Joad family pees behind on their journey (Steinbeck 124) [I read ahead of what I am posting so there is a little influence of future events in my writings]. The way Steinbeck alters between point of views every chapter is a refreshing way of doing it, and it keeps the book from being boring since the chapters alternate from the story of the Joads to short, anecdote like, passages that tell about the time period of the novel.
Chapter 1's tale about how the women look to the men to make sure they don't fall apart and the children look to the women to see if everything is okay, is a nice tribute to the family hierarchy. The men are the head of the household and dictate family affairs. The women stand by their men and they are the enforcers and the backbone of the family. The children know that if the women are okay and still believe in the men, then they can keep on playing since everything will be okay. This situation is set in the Dust Bowl, but the same family hierarchy situation can still be found in today's economic problems. Chapter 3's tale of a turtle crossing the road is one of survival. The turtle is almost hit by a woman (Steinbeck 15) and is nicked and flipped over by a truck (Steinbeck 15), but rights itself and continues on his journey (Steinbeck 16). I am sure that the survival theme will be an important part of the upcoming story, otherwise it wouldn't have been mentioned, let alone had its own chapter.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
After an hour of reading The Grapes of Wrath, I had a flashback to the Lord of the Rings books. In both books there was a ton of detail describing the land and the world that the book takes place in. The LOTR books were good, don't get me wrong, but there was sooo much detail. I was really hoping that John Steinbeck wouldn't pull a Tolkien and describe Oklahoma and everyone else on the road to California with so much detail that I could know what kind of bush (and the condition of the leaves) that the Joad family pees behind on their journey (Steinbeck 124) [I read ahead of what I am posting so there is a little influence of future events in my writings]. The way Steinbeck alters between point of views every chapter is a refreshing way of doing it, and it keeps the book from being boring since the chapters alternate from the story of the Joads to short, anecdote like, passages that tell about the time period of the novel.
Chapter 1's tale about how the women look to the men to make sure they don't fall apart and the children look to the women to see if everything is okay, is a nice tribute to the family hierarchy. The men are the head of the household and dictate family affairs. The women stand by their men and they are the enforcers and the backbone of the family. The children know that if the women are okay and still believe in the men, then they can keep on playing since everything will be okay. This situation is set in the Dust Bowl, but the same family hierarchy situation can still be found in today's economic problems. Chapter 3's tale of a turtle crossing the road is one of survival. The turtle is almost hit by a woman (Steinbeck 15) and is nicked and flipped over by a truck (Steinbeck 15), but rights itself and continues on his journey (Steinbeck 16). I am sure that the survival theme will be an important part of the upcoming story, otherwise it wouldn't have been mentioned, let alone had its own chapter.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Opinion on The Old Man and the Sea
As a whole I liked this book. There was enough suspenseful action and emotional investment that I actually enjoyed a book that was not sci-fi or fantasy. Hemingway put a lot of hard work into this book. The attention to detail and tying all of Santiago's actions to stories in the Bible was amazing. Santiago carrying the mast to his shack, the number tie ins, and the character parallels of biblical figures was a nice in depth understory for The Old Man and the Sea. Hiding the Christianity aspect (not mentioning anything Christian except for praying to God when the old man needed some extra help even though he isn't religous [Hemingway 64] ) unless the reader was looking for it is one of the reasons the book is a classic. That much detail and back story fitting into one hundred and twenty seven pages is crazy.
The lions on the beach in Africa was a nice touch in my opinion. Having a story to tell the boy about the past and a story that gives the old man reassurance and a 'happy place' to go to was very sweet. The lions remind Santiago of a time when he was a young man having adventures in other parts of the world. That 'happy place' allowed Santiago to have an anchor in the world and not be lost in the pain and suffering that he was enduring.
I did not like how I didn't know the boy's name was Manolin until I was trying to find a quote for my first blog post and saw the Santiago addressing the boy as Manolin (Hemingway 27). For being the second main human character, Manolin's name is mentioned twice (Hemingway 27, 124). I thought he was just called "the boy". At least Santiago was addressed as Santiago more than twice in the novel (The Old Man and the Sea does sound better than Santiago and the Sea though). Knowing the characters names, physical attributes, and personality helps me connect with the story and immerse myself into the setting and plot. Manolin wasn't in the book a lot, but still, I wished I would have know more about him.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
The lions on the beach in Africa was a nice touch in my opinion. Having a story to tell the boy about the past and a story that gives the old man reassurance and a 'happy place' to go to was very sweet. The lions remind Santiago of a time when he was a young man having adventures in other parts of the world. That 'happy place' allowed Santiago to have an anchor in the world and not be lost in the pain and suffering that he was enduring.
I did not like how I didn't know the boy's name was Manolin until I was trying to find a quote for my first blog post and saw the Santiago addressing the boy as Manolin (Hemingway 27). For being the second main human character, Manolin's name is mentioned twice (Hemingway 27, 124). I thought he was just called "the boy". At least Santiago was addressed as Santiago more than twice in the novel (The Old Man and the Sea does sound better than Santiago and the Sea though). Knowing the characters names, physical attributes, and personality helps me connect with the story and immerse myself into the setting and plot. Manolin wasn't in the book a lot, but still, I wished I would have know more about him.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Christian References Parte Dos: Names and the Virgin Mary
A possible coincidence or a subliminal Catholic reference is the fact that Santiago is "of Spanish origin" and means "Saints James" ("Santiago"). St James is the patron of laborers and evangelized Spain ("St. James"). Cuba is a Spanish speaking country (thanks goes to Columbus for discovering Cuba in the name of Spain for that one) and since Spain once owned the territory, St. James could tie in through the link of cultural spreading and influence. Also Santiago was a laborer, therefore under Saint James's protection. The old man had a hard labor job. Being a fisherman caused a lot of injuries to his hands, shoulders, and back. Also Santiago states that "All my life the early sun has hurt my eyes." (Hemingway 33). If he was named for the patron saint of laborers, then that could explain why he is an old man and is still physically able to capture and bring home an eighteen foot marlin. His name sake could have been watching out for Santiago and protecting him from life threatening dangers that the old man couldn't handle (you would think shark attacks would fall under that... but Santiago can hold his own against los dentusos).
I know that Santiago is Catholic since he prays the Hail Mary (Heminway 65) and that is a prayer that is predominately used by Catholics (Mary is held in the highest regard and worshiped by the Catholics, but not by all Christians [that question was on my Confirmation test]). Mary, Mother of God, has a lot in common with the sea or as Santiago refers to it, la mar. Both are nurturing and are foundations of hope. The sea brings the hope of adventure, survival, and life. The Blessed Mary brings the hope "from the moment of spiritual birth to the moment of death" ("Mary"), the hope of salvation, and the hope of a life of grace. The sea and Mary also are well meaning guardians of their children. Mary knows what lies ahead for Jesus and watches over him while he suffers, knowing he will be in a better place soon. Santiago has spent his life on the sea and has a great respect for la mar. The sea also observes her child when he suffers, but the sea knows that she will not cause the death of him and so la mar knows that Santiago will make it through the rough times and there are no waves or storms when the old man is out at sea.
Beegel, Susan F. "Santiago and the Eternal Feminine: Gendering La Mar in The Old Man and the Sea." Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc, 2002. Web. 9 July 2011.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
"Mary the Blessed Virgin." Catholic Online. Web. 09 July 2011.
"Santiago." Think Baby Names. Web. 09 July 2011.
"St. James the Greater Apostle." Catholic Online. Web. 09 July 2011.
I know that Santiago is Catholic since he prays the Hail Mary (Heminway 65) and that is a prayer that is predominately used by Catholics (Mary is held in the highest regard and worshiped by the Catholics, but not by all Christians [that question was on my Confirmation test]). Mary, Mother of God, has a lot in common with the sea or as Santiago refers to it, la mar. Both are nurturing and are foundations of hope. The sea brings the hope of adventure, survival, and life. The Blessed Mary brings the hope "from the moment of spiritual birth to the moment of death" ("Mary"), the hope of salvation, and the hope of a life of grace. The sea and Mary also are well meaning guardians of their children. Mary knows what lies ahead for Jesus and watches over him while he suffers, knowing he will be in a better place soon. Santiago has spent his life on the sea and has a great respect for la mar. The sea also observes her child when he suffers, but the sea knows that she will not cause the death of him and so la mar knows that Santiago will make it through the rough times and there are no waves or storms when the old man is out at sea.
Beegel, Susan F. "Santiago and the Eternal Feminine: Gendering La Mar in The Old Man and the Sea." Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc, 2002. Web. 9 July 2011.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
"Mary the Blessed Virgin." Catholic Online. Web. 09 July 2011.
"Santiago." Think Baby Names. Web. 09 July 2011.
"St. James the Greater Apostle." Catholic Online. Web. 09 July 2011.
Christian References: Crosses and Numbers
In the book, many events had direct Christian symbolism. At the end of the book when Santiago had made it to the port of Havana, he "shouldered the mast and started to climb... and at the top he fell and lay for some time with the mast across his shoulder... He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack." (Hemingway 121) then, in my opinion, died in peace after seeing the boy. Jesus carried the cross to the place where he was going to die and sustained five wounds while on the cross ("Numbers"). Jesus also knew that he was going to die and was at peace and shouted to the heavens, "It is finished. Into your hands I commend my spirit." before he did die ("Three Hours"). Both Santiago and Jesus lives ended in the same fashion: immense suffering followed by a peace of mind and death.
Many different numbers appeared in The Old Man and the Sea. Many of the numbers had another meaning besides functioning as a measure of something. The first double meaning number is the amount of days in a row that Santiago fished with the boy without catching anything (Hemingway 1). Forty is a number of "trial or probation" ("Biblical Numerology") in the Christian religion. Manolin is tested to see if he will stay with Santiago just based off of faith even if the old man is "salao" (Hemingway 1) like his parents believe. Like an apostle and their faith in Jesus, Manolin believes in the old man and wants to stay in fish with him and make sure he is taken care of. Those forty days were his "trial" run, and the boy passed and became an 'apostle' of Santiago. When the old man was fishing he had "three forty-fathom coils of line in reserve" (Hemingway 44). He had three coils, one for each of the members of the Trinity. Speaking of a trinity, "There are three things that are brother: the fish and my two hands." (Hemingway 64), Santiago has his own. Those three things are the only things left that he can put all of his faith in when he is out alone in the sea (he also has a trinity of companions: God, DiMaggio, and Manolin. Those three people are the only ones he can rely on and knows he can pull strength from the fact that they are strong people and believe in him). His left hand cramped up and he was worried, but knew that his right hand wouldn't fail and that the fish will still be there after the hand uncramps. He had the faith that he could make it through another night as long as he had his two hands and a fish. Nothing else mattered.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
"Numbers in Christian Symbolism - ReligionFacts." Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world's religions. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2011.
"Three Hours of Darkness." The Story of Jesus. Bible Heritage Foundation, Inc. Web. 09 July 2011.
"What Is Biblical Numerology?" CARM. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Web. 09 July 2011.
Many different numbers appeared in The Old Man and the Sea. Many of the numbers had another meaning besides functioning as a measure of something. The first double meaning number is the amount of days in a row that Santiago fished with the boy without catching anything (Hemingway 1). Forty is a number of "trial or probation" ("Biblical Numerology") in the Christian religion. Manolin is tested to see if he will stay with Santiago just based off of faith even if the old man is "salao" (Hemingway 1) like his parents believe. Like an apostle and their faith in Jesus, Manolin believes in the old man and wants to stay in fish with him and make sure he is taken care of. Those forty days were his "trial" run, and the boy passed and became an 'apostle' of Santiago. When the old man was fishing he had "three forty-fathom coils of line in reserve" (Hemingway 44). He had three coils, one for each of the members of the Trinity. Speaking of a trinity, "There are three things that are brother: the fish and my two hands." (Hemingway 64), Santiago has his own. Those three things are the only things left that he can put all of his faith in when he is out alone in the sea (he also has a trinity of companions: God, DiMaggio, and Manolin. Those three people are the only ones he can rely on and knows he can pull strength from the fact that they are strong people and believe in him). His left hand cramped up and he was worried, but knew that his right hand wouldn't fail and that the fish will still be there after the hand uncramps. He had the faith that he could make it through another night as long as he had his two hands and a fish. Nothing else mattered.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
"Numbers in Christian Symbolism - ReligionFacts." Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world's religions. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2011.
"Three Hours of Darkness." The Story of Jesus. Bible Heritage Foundation, Inc. Web. 09 July 2011.
"What Is Biblical Numerology?" CARM. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Web. 09 July 2011.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Post Webinar Thoughts
I am going to talk about some stuff while its fresh in my mind. Then I will go into more detail at a later date. First is what happened after the book ended. I believe that after the boy left Santiago died. He lived a good life, accomplished his goal of catching a big fish, and he said goodbye to the boy. He was ready to let go and move on. Plus if Santiago is being compared to Jesus, then Santiago would have died since he carried the mast to his shack. The mast could be the cross and the shack could be the final resting place. Also Santiago's death would be a nice ending. The fish would remain shrouded in a mystery and the legend of the old man and the eighteen foot marlin would grow. A nice conclusion for an epic hero's journey.
Another thing that I realized was some more supporting information for Santiago being an epic hero. I had previously thought that Santiago was only lacking god interference, but then I remembered that he was praying a lot of Hail Marys and Our Fathers (Hemingway 65, 87). If God answered his prayer, which Santiago's hand didn't fail him and he did catch the marlin, then that counts as god interference. The old man can hold his own against the younger epic heroes. Santiago now meets all of my epic hero criteria.
The last thing is all of the Christianity symbolism. I haven't read Mr. Langley's blog post on it yet, but I will expand on this topic later. I didn't catch all of the Christianity stuff when I initially read the book, but now a lot of things are making sense. The fact that Santiago means saint in Spanish is a cool little nod to Christianity. Another thing cool thing is that the old man and the boy fished together for forty days. Many events in the Bible happened in 40 days like the Great flood and Jesus in the desert. Also many symbols throughout the novel can be tied to Jesus: the mast as the cross, succeeding even when everyone thought you would fail, bearing a large burden alone.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Another thing that I realized was some more supporting information for Santiago being an epic hero. I had previously thought that Santiago was only lacking god interference, but then I remembered that he was praying a lot of Hail Marys and Our Fathers (Hemingway 65, 87). If God answered his prayer, which Santiago's hand didn't fail him and he did catch the marlin, then that counts as god interference. The old man can hold his own against the younger epic heroes. Santiago now meets all of my epic hero criteria.
The last thing is all of the Christianity symbolism. I haven't read Mr. Langley's blog post on it yet, but I will expand on this topic later. I didn't catch all of the Christianity stuff when I initially read the book, but now a lot of things are making sense. The fact that Santiago means saint in Spanish is a cool little nod to Christianity. Another thing cool thing is that the old man and the boy fished together for forty days. Many events in the Bible happened in 40 days like the Great flood and Jesus in the desert. Also many symbols throughout the novel can be tied to Jesus: the mast as the cross, succeeding even when everyone thought you would fail, bearing a large burden alone.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
Epic Hero Fun
I was contemplating what I should talk about in this blog when the thought hit me: Santiago is sort of an epic hero right? He goes on a quest by himself, he shouldn't come back alive but does and beats the odds, no one knows his last name (the only epic heroe that I can think of that has a last name is Luke Skywalker and his story isn't even told in a book or poem [ex. Beowulf, Odysseus, Perseus, Achilles, Jesus...]), and I would assume the marlin's skeleton on the old man's skiff would make him a fishing legend. Because Santiago has the basic characteristics of an epic hero, plus meets all the qualifications that I can think of at this moment, that means he needs an epic poem!
There once was an old man who fished in the sea
He voyaged all day and night and it was sometimes eerie
But the old man was looking long and hard
To find a large fish to bring back to the shipyard
He tried to catch a big fish for three days and two nights
But the marlin put up quite a lengthy fight
After the old man had roped the fish to his skiff
A couple of nearby sharks got a whiff
They came and attacked the old man and his fish
The battles brought the old man a lot of anguish
After the sharks were gone at last
The old man returned to his port and lowered his mast
Finally home, he was sleepy, worn down, and sore
Then the old man awoke to find the boy on the floor
The boy asked "How much did you suffer?"
The old man answered "plenty" without a stutter
The boy gave him food and left with his eyes moisten
While at the harbor a crowd was amazed at an eighteen foot skeleton.
Ta da! Whew. That took me a while. Apparently the only thing that rhymes with Santiago is afro, furlough, and window. I couldn't fit those in so he was the old man for the duration of the poem. The quotes were (Hemingway 126). I didn't want to put it in the poem and mess with the line spaces. I feel accomplished now. I am a blogger and a poet!
"Free Rhyming Dictionary." Write Express. WriteExpress Corporation. Web. 07 July 2011.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
There once was an old man who fished in the sea
He voyaged all day and night and it was sometimes eerie
But the old man was looking long and hard
To find a large fish to bring back to the shipyard
He tried to catch a big fish for three days and two nights
But the marlin put up quite a lengthy fight
After the old man had roped the fish to his skiff
A couple of nearby sharks got a whiff
They came and attacked the old man and his fish
The battles brought the old man a lot of anguish
After the sharks were gone at last
The old man returned to his port and lowered his mast
Finally home, he was sleepy, worn down, and sore
Then the old man awoke to find the boy on the floor
The boy asked "How much did you suffer?"
The old man answered "plenty" without a stutter
The boy gave him food and left with his eyes moisten
While at the harbor a crowd was amazed at an eighteen foot skeleton.
Ta da! Whew. That took me a while. Apparently the only thing that rhymes with Santiago is afro, furlough, and window. I couldn't fit those in so he was the old man for the duration of the poem. The quotes were (Hemingway 126). I didn't want to put it in the poem and mess with the line spaces. I feel accomplished now. I am a blogger and a poet!
"Free Rhyming Dictionary." Write Express. WriteExpress Corporation. Web. 07 July 2011.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.
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