The musket is an archaic thing; an item more antique than weapon, the musket resembles a cartoon rifle with its wide-brimmed muzzle and smoky exhaust. Seldom used or even seen since the Revolutionary War, the musket carries something more than the sum of its parts-- it is the symbol of an underdog, of a fledgling rebellion struggling against desperate odds. Carried by untested farmers and untrained militias, the musket soon came to represent everything that was America-- persistence, defiance, and tenacity. Unlike the hoary old musket, however, those values still see use today, used to exemplify that which is distinctly and uniquely American, one example being the trials and endeavors of two separate characters struggling individually against their own enemies; Richard Wright of Black …show more content…
In both cases, however, the characters’ persistence and defiance is more of a hindrance than help. Still, however, these values of rebellion--of America-- enrich and add meaning into both Tom Joad’s and Richard Wright’s lives. And while their experiences couldn’t be more different, they both carry the necessary tenacity to face massive odds, both physical and societal. Joad and Wright, the farmer and the intellectual, the trouble-maker and the trouble-avoider, the one unused to discrimination and the one hardened to it-- despite the many differences of their respective struggles, both men fight against inequalities in their lives that oppress them with their qualities of tenacity and determination, despite the consequences often caused by those selfsame qualities. Both Joad and Wright are true heroes of their respective stories, powered by their perseverance and rebelliousness, true American values, for better or for worse, although it’s most often the
In two differing stories of departure, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Steinbeck’s standard for a writer is met by the raw human emotions exhibited in the main characters’ success and defeat.
In a country full of inequities and discrimination, numerous books were written to depict our unjust societies. One of the many books is an autobiography by Richard Wright. In Black Boy, Wright shares these many life-changing experiences he faced, which include the discovery of racism at a young age, the fights he put up against discrimination and hunger, and finally his decision to move Northward to a purported better society. Through these experiences, which eventually led him to success, Wright tells his readers the cause and effect of racism, and hunger. In a way, the novel The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle illustrates similar experiences.
Innocent members of the community such as Scout Finch prove that there are other mindsets to be taken. “ ‘I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks’ ” (Lee 304). Martin Luther King and his wife Coretta both stood up very publicly and deliberately for their convictions, but even ordinary heroes such as Rosa Parks can spark social revolution. “ ‘I was just plain tired, and my feet hurt.’ ” So she sat there, refusing to get up” (King 3). Social justice is not elusive to everyone, but in cases like the one portrayed in “American Tragedy” differentiation between race and class still affect the minds of prominent members of civilization. In the end, true civic equality is not obtainable for everyone because of age-old practices that encourage racial segregation, communal fear to adjust comfortable habits, and because it would be necessary for all people to take part in such an undertaking, which is neither realistic nor justifiable. Hope for such a day when differentiation and prejudice are no longer prominent in society’s issues is shown in small acts of defiance everyday, by exhibiting respect for all when it is not offered. “She would quickly subordinate her own desires to those of the family or the community, because she knew cooperation was the only way to survive” (Houston
The Taming of the West: Age of the Gunfighter: Men and Weapons of the Frontier 1840-1900.
...ected by the differences (and perhaps similarities) of their lives and those less fortunate. They stand at the crossroad that would define their character and their future course of action. Some choose ambivalence, some choose to see and turn away, others may even convince themselves that they are actually better than they used to be. But without acting on any internal change these people have failed to convince the reader that they have been redeemed. Their inability or unwillingness to extend themselves to the cause of brotherhood and human kindness is their testament. The reader has no pity for these men, but unlike them the reader can internalize the lessons of their experiences and effect change in their own lives. Their failure to act is their greatest folly, but the reader can rise above these characters, recognizing their failure and take a different path.
What being an American truly means is a topic that fascinates American authors and readers alike. What composes the American spirit, the American culture, the American identity and the American values are questions many authors answer and nearly all authors answer differently. In the novels Catch 22, by Joseph Heller and The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger the idea of Americanism, is explored in great detail. Each novel features a slightly different insight into what exactly being an American truly means. Through the use of characters and narration, the literary works Catch 22 and The Catcher in the Rye convey what their respective authors believe to be American spirit, American culture, American identity and American values.
The American Dream presents the idea that all American citizens should have equal opportunities in regards to their hard work, persistence, and tenacity; however, Steinbeck displays the flaws in the American Dream due to the biased and prejudiced views of high-class citizens within the novel, and how people in lower classes will never receive equal opportunity. Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, the narrator vividly illustrates the harsh circumstances that the Joad family, alongside other Okies, face along the expedition to California. Correspondingly, the privileged landowners prove guilty for the death of the American Dream elucidated in the novel.
To Kill a Mockingbird, the novel by Harper Lee embodies a work of Southern literature, set in the 1930s in a small town in Alabama. The book’s genre exemplifies a coming-of-age historical fiction story. The narrator, a young girl named Scout Finch, describes the lessons she and her brother Jem learn when their father, a lawyer named Atticus, defends an African American man who stands accused of raping a white woman. The novel’s premise revolves around the efforts of a father raising his children and guiding them in their moral development. Along the way, the book deals with the themes of courage, prejudice and maturity. These three concepts are defined differently by Atticus than by most of the other people in the town where he lives. According to Atticus, courage means doing what remains as right and resisting what remains as wrong, even if other people oppose you. In contrast to the prejudice of the townspeople, Atticus believes it important to treat everyone equally. Maturity, in Atticus’ view, refers to having a sense of conscience and seeking to protect those who remain innocent. As these definitions show, Atticus Finch displays a strong sense of ethics. His goal as a parent remains to pass his values on to his children. This paper will argue that Scout and Jem learn the true meanings of courage, prejudice and maturity through the influence of their father and the example he sets for them.
Although ten years separated their respective journeys, Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck expressed similar views in their road narratives. They focused on the rapidly evolving American societal landscape, while using the theme of mobility as a “central structural metaphor” (Cresswell). That is, both authors used exploration through time and movement as a Modernist method of alignment with their exploration of American society. Kerouac and Steinbeck, despite a significant gap in age, were also united by their their “natural anarchism”, or dissenting opinion on American consumerism and selfishness during the 1950s and 1960s. Finally, “the people Kerouac describes with the most passion are the very ones society does it best to ignore” (Cresswell). Likewise, “Steinbeck preferred to be in the company of the social marginalized” (Dunphy). Both of them shared a mutual attraction to junkies, actors, gypsies, and the hobos, and were not afraid to delve into what they saw as the more interesting, more truthful America. However, their differences were just as extensive. Take for example, the shift in generation that stemmed from the aforementioned age gap. The older, arguably more wiser Steinbeck masterfully viewed man and nature, looking for motives, consequences, and predictability. Conversely, Kerouac only sought explanation of and for himself. This naïve inner reflection resulted in the search for masculinity in the foundation of American ideals: those of manhood, self-realization and conquest. This became characteristic of Kerouac and the Beats, a symbol of their own Manifest Destiny. As Kerouac was fighting against the very system that benefited him, he became like Steinbeck’s rediscovered America - contradictory and confusing. This ob...
As Scout and Jem Finch grow up they are exposed to a distressing controversy about her fathers lawsuit that he is defending. Scout's father Atticus Finch is defending Tom Robinson a southern black man who is accused of assault. The entire community are against Tom because he is a black man and agrees he should spend time in a solitary confinement even though he is innocent. While the case is going on Scout get's teased in class from other students because her father is helping a black man. Scout was raised to respect everyone regardless of their colour and that everyone is equal and has the rights o...
Tom Joad is an ex-convict that was only into his own self-interest and lived by a mantra of live your life day by day and not concerned with the future, to becoming a man who thinks about the future and someone with morals and an obligation to help others. Ma Joad is a typical woman of the early 1900’s whose main role was a mother only with a role of caring and nurturing. Later in the novel, she becomes an important figure for the family and is responsible for making decisions in keeping the family together and emphasizes the importance of unity. Another important transition in the book is the family starting off as a single close knit unit to depending on other families to survive. This common interest and struggle bonded the community of individual families to a single one. Steinbeck wrote this novel very well, by having great character dynamics and development that displays the characters strengths and also their
Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic novel that mimics life and offers social commentary too. It offers many windows on real life in midwest America in the 1930s. But it also offers a powerful social commentary, directly in the intercalary chapters and indirectly in the places and people it portrays. Typical of very many, the Joads are driven off the land by far away banks and set out on a journey to California to find a better life. However the journey breaks up the family, their dreams are not realized and their fortunes disappear. What promised to be the land of milk and honey turns to sour grapes. The hopes and dreams of a generation turned to wrath. Steinbeck opens up this catastrophe for public scrutiny.
Harper Lee demonstrates the adverse effects of social inequality through major character Tom Robinson. Tom’s main role in the story
Through the support of the narrator’s tone, these two diversely different characters are brought together because they go through the same strategies and expressions of pain, unhappiness, injustice and abuse. Faulkner’s brilliant writing style and tone through the voice of the narrator creates a dynamic story that discusses several critical points, such as the struggles of victims and their strategies. Through two characters the author was able to describe the different reactions of victims, as well as, allow the audience to form and label the antagonist and protagonist.
“And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath” (Steinbeck 349). John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, portrays the migrant’s resentment of the California land owners and their way of life and illustrates that the vagrants from Oklahoma are yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee elucidates the concept that people should be treated with inclusive human dignity and be affected by good aspects rather than deleterious behavior. In addition to both novels, “Suffering with Them”, “Evil’s Fate”, and “To Hope” share the same concurrent theme. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath and “Suffering with Them”, “Evil’s Fate”, and “To Hope” illustrate a synonymous, thematic message that evil’s inhumanity, during corrupt times, induces a perception of hopefulness for good to conquer immorality.