While flipping through Grapes of Wrath, I stumbled across a seemingly incidental quote
that nevertheless got me thinking about T.O., religion, and those folks that seem most united by T.O. (the migrants searching for work).
The quote is on page 207, when a man looking for work says "Runnin' a furrow four miles long that ain't stoppin' or goin' aroun ' Jesus Christ Hisself" In context, I took this to mean that the new industry has no respect for the old ways, nor does it have any respect for Jesus Christ. On the other hand the Joads, and other migrant workers like them, seem to have an often unspoken respect for religion, especially individuals such as Jesus Christ. This isn't a fanatical devotion to religion, nor is it a complete renunciation of it, but it is there, inherent, and accepted. Basically, they have a healthy appreciation of religion, which unites them.
This is a bit of a stretch, but I think that it stands. Let's keep up the posts on T.O. and religion, they're quite interesting.
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2 comments:
i think what you said about the new industry having no respect for the old ways is really important in regards to the notion of T.O. in Grapes. This is from one of the "inter-chapters", chapter 9:
"can't sell a hand plow no more. Fifty cents for the weight of the metal. We'll take it - all junk - and give em five dollars. You're not buying only junk, your buying junked lives."
the old way of peoples lives are gone. And this is forcing them to move, both literally to California, and sipritually, together, in what we call T.O.
LIAR!
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