I really enjoyed this chapter. This isn't going to be analyzing really, but bear with me. So, in this chapter, the tenants are selling their goods for any price people are willing to pay. For example, when the tenant is selling the horses he says, "Oh, take 'em...you're buying a little girl plaiting the forelocks, taking off her hair ribbons to make bows, standing back, head cocked, rubbing soft noses with her cheek," (Steinbeck, p. 58, 1939).
This quote really stood out to me, because a similar thing happened. When my family moved, we had to sell everything that wasn't "essential." We had this very comfortable rocking chair. It was my favorite to sit on. On that chair, my mom taught me how to count every night before I went to kindergarten. I remember one night being able to count up to 300 all by myself, and my mom was very happy and congratulated me; this made me feel very proud! So, when the time came to move, and we sold the chair, I was sad, because of all of the fun and happy memories I had created because of it.
I think that's what this chapter was about. That everything we own, and have memories about, become part of us. They hold our ideas, our thoughts, a part of our lives. So when they had to get rid of all their belongings, they were getting rid of all of their cherished memories. They were leaving behind their own lives. They were leaving behind themselves.
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ReplyDeleteThat was a meaningful story Pablo. The people's cherished possessions, like your beloved rocking chair was a part of them. The people felt they had to sell the stuff from their past, to start a new, hopeful future.
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DeleteYeah, it was sad though because they said they couldn't start again because they had already started. It stated that only babies could start. So instead of "starting" they were really just continuing into the unknown. They didn't know if they were going to be okay, or if they were even going to be "alive," in a sense. They say that your past makes you who you are, but since they're leaving their "past," they are not going to know who they are anymore.
DeleteI completely agree with your analysis Pablo. Every object held a special memory, a significant place in their past. Leaving them behind meant leaving parts of themselves behind. This posed a major question for them. If they leave their past behind then who do they become? This chapter is so far my favorite because it shows that we are who we are due to the challenges we faced,memories we made and decisions we took in the past. Once we lose sight of that, we forget who we truly are.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you! This was also one of my favorite chapters to read as well. And I agree, everything we have done in the past, everything we've experienced has made us who we are today.
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