So chapter 11 has some passages that I really enjoyed; so this blog is going to be me just sharing them with you and explaining why I enjoyed them, or thought they were interesting/important.
"The cats crept through teh open doors and walked mewing through teh empty rooms. And they went back to the fields and were wild cats from then on, hunting gophers and field mice, and sleeping in ditches in the daytime," (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 78). So, in this quote we see a cat becoming once again wild. I think this signifies a rebirth of the domesticated animals. They reverted back to their natural selves in hopes of surviving; they had to make changes to their life style in order to survive. It is saying that when things change we must adapt. So the Joads will have to adapt to their new environment, by making changes to how they live their lives.
"The weeds sprang up in front of the doorstep, where they had not been allowed, and grass grew up through the porch boards," (Steinbeck, 1939, p.78). So in this quote the weeds are growing where they weren't allowed. They are reconquering what was once theirs. I liked how it was nature that drove away the tenants, and now it was nature taking back what the tenants had taken from it. It's sort of showing how strong nature is, and I really enjoyed that quote.
"The houses were vacant, and a vacant house falls apart quickly. Splits started up the sheathing from the rusted nails. A dust settled the floors....and on windy nights the doors banged, and ragged curtains fluttered in the broken windows," (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 78). This creates a very eerie mood. It's a decrepit house, in the night, that's creaking and billowing. I really liked the image this painted of the rundown houses, and it really just showed the toll that nature took on them.
I think a major part of this chapter was detailing nature and the power it has--how easily adaptable the creatures are, and how easily the environment can take back what was stolen from it.
Do you guys have any other passages you enjoyed from this chapter, or any differing ideas as to what these passages meant? Please comment down below!
Yeah, I also felt the empty homes gave off an eerie feeling. Your analysis on this chapter was good. Yeah, the banks/corporations thought destroying the homes would push all the life out, but in stead their actions allowed nature to take the land back from men.
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