The Steinbeck s Book And The Migrant s Choice Of Words...

Having The Grapes of Wrath and Their Eyes Were Watching God on my library shelf occurred because the two novels are required summer reading for my junior year language arts class. I doubt I ever would have read Hurston’s book, but Steinbeck’s book is known to me. So, I took advantage of this opportunity, to become involved with Tom Joad (and his family) and Janie Crawford (and her grandmother and three husbands). From my reading, I saw connections with the issues of power and self-fulfillment, survival, family life and relationship, and community connections. Both books take place in the 1930’s; one in rural Florida and the other from Oklahoma to California. The writing style in the books relies on conversation indicative to the identity of the characters and the setting. The initial problem I had is reading the southern dialect spoken by the characters in Hurston’s book and the migrant’s choice of words and speech patterns in Steinbeck’s boo k. Eventually, I succumbed to it and became engaged with the character s determination and the impact of events on their lives as the stories evolved. Power is important in both books. For the Joads and the migrants it is confronting and dealing with the landowners. The idea of power results in a bond between the Joads and the Wilsons, and later incorporates the other migrant families. I see this as an example of self-preservation.On the other hand, for Janie, power of others prevents her from achieving independence and selfShow MoreRelated Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay example9610 Words   |  39 PagesOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was born on 27 Feb 1902 in Salinas, California, not far from the area where Of Mice and Men is set. He attended Stanford University, but never settled to one area of study and left without obtaining a degree. In his twenties, he pursued a varied working life, including that of an itinerant ranch worker, similar to the characters portrayed in the novel. His early writings had some success, and established him as an author interested in