Another way of life for the proletarian

Turner 2022-03-21 09:01:54

In general, it is a film that I personally like with a proletarian as the protagonist. It is fortunate that there is no Soviet-style mania and violence, and no destructive activities are carried out by coercing the people in the name of the people.

As for the contradictions in the film, there are bad elements among the people, and the government itself is clean and pure. This right-handed approach is actually rational.

The image of a peasant who has relocated and experienced suffering, and the whole world is one, seems to be more proof of the necessity of some kind of "uniting"; Retaining family and rationality in an extreme situation can instead highlight the good qualities of the proletarians and make them more convincing.

The hero's left-wing remarks when he bids farewell to his mother is regrettable, but he is fortunate that he is not extreme left. He was not incited by others but embarked on the road of self-research and discovery. Restraint does not diminish or even disappear when it encounters its own kind.

Looking back at the title of the film, there is a hint of wit and poetry.

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Extended Reading

The Grapes of Wrath quotes

  • [last lines]

    Ma Joad: Rich fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out. But we keep a'comin'. We're the people that live. They can't wipe us out; they can't lick us. We'll go on forever, Pa, 'cause we're the people.

  • [the family is leaving the farm, heading for California]

    Al Joad: Ain't you gonna look back, Ma? Give the ol' place a last look?

    Ma Joad: We're going' to California, ain't we? All right then let's go to California.

    Al Joad: That don't sound like you, Ma. You never was like that before.

    Ma Joad: I never had my house pushed over before. Never had my family stuck out on the road. Never had to lose everything I had in life.