This excerpt, taken from Chapter 6 of ?The Grapes of Wrath', deals with Muley Graves's account of the depletion of man, when he is separated from his land. It is the third of many narrative chapters, which move away from the social, economic and historical situations that shape the intercalary chapters, to focus on the plight of individuals. At the beginning of Chapter 6, Muley tells Tom that the Joads, as well as his own family, have been removed from their land by the bank. He also confesses that he was unable to leave the land where he had grown up and to follow his family to California. Therefore, the passage seems to be about the erosion of family unity and of man's dignity. Nevertheless, the sharing of food between Tom, Muley and Casy seems to foretell the creation of a new kind of bond between the Okies.
[...] However, quite paradoxically, it seems that the farmers themselves have participated in the destruction of the land, as Muley points out l.45-6: God knows the lan' ain't any good Nobody been able to make a crop for years”. To put it in a nutshell, Muley's discourse to Tom and Casy reiterates the plea of a tenant in Chapter a man owns a little property, that property is him, it's part of him, and it's like him”. Indeed, farmers take their dignity from their proximity to earth. However, though this relationship is destroyed, the supper between the three isolated men show that farmers may gain a new identity by helping one another. [...]
[...] During this moment of gathering, Muley has the opportunity to express his feelings, which he had not done for a long time, as he recognizes himself: ain't talked to nobody for a long time” (l.51). Therefore, thanks to this short period of time, he is no longer on the side of animality but on that of humanity. Muley's discourse not only appears as a catharsis, that-is-to-say as an emotional relief enabling the latter to get rid of all his anger. [...]
[...] In other words, it serves the same purpose as the intercalary chapters, inserted between the narrative ones, which highlight that the Joads' troubles embody that of an entire community of farmers. It also shows the strings of writing to the reader for it reveals the tools to captivate one's audience. As a result, the text has a metatextual dimension. One should notice that this process had also been used earlier in Chapter when Tom told a story to Casy about Uncle John and the shoat. [...]
[...] He is that-is-to say he has lost his senses, which is the distinctive feature of man. In the same way, Tom is described by his “long teeth”(l.71) tearing out the meat. In other words, as an animal, he behaves instinctively. Paradoxically, the meat seems to be personified at “smell her”l.63) so as to show that men have become carnivorous beasts. The narration moves progressively from the specific (Muley's personal plight) to the general level, as shown by the three rethorical questions (“'Cause what'd they take when they tractored the folks off the lan'? [...]
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