Grapes of Wrath the Theme of Decay free essay sample

One of the most pervasive themes in this passage is that of a spreading decay that is taking over the society. This is first expressed in quite a literal sense, as an actual decay of fruit and produce, which spreads like a virus across the American countryside and farming lands. Due to the economic mismanagement of the farming industry, fruit and other produce are left to rot and decay on the trees because they are not picked by the farmers. The text gives many examples of different fruits being left to decay on the farms. We see, for example, the cherries, that are described at first as â€Å"full and sweet†, being left to turn into seeds which â€Å"drop and dry with black shreds hanging from them†. The purple prunes, which now â€Å"carpet the ground†, fill the valley with â€Å"the odor of sweet decay†. Pears are left to be devoured by the yellowjackets, and give off a smell of â€Å"ferment and rot†. We will write a custom essay sample on Grapes of Wrath: the Theme of Decay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Grapes are not good enough to make good wine, and the wine that is made from them is â€Å"the smell of decay and chemicals†. As we can see, the text goes into quite a lot of detail in the description of the different fruits decaying all over the State. Fruits of all sorts are left to decay, and, like a virus, this decay is spreading rapidly. The passage shows this spread quite explicitly as well, using repetition to show the way in which this sense of decay is infecting each and every farm and the fruit it produces. Structurally, the text repeats each paragraph to show how each fruit is similarly decaying, and the same descriptions are used over and over again in each description. The descriptions of fruit â€Å"carpeting the ground†, and of the â€Å"smell of ferment and rot† are repeated in each paragraph that speaks about the fruit. This has two effects. First, it reinforces the helplessness that is felt by the farmers, as the same thing is happening to each one of the different types of fruit. Each time there is the same cause, and the same effect, but nothing seems to be able to be done. Repetition thus expresses the absurdity of the situation, as well as the frustration of the farmers faced with it. Secondly, the repetition depicts figuratively the accumulation and spreading of the problem. It is not a problem that is isolated to one kind of fruit, or one particular farming community, but a problem that is rapidly becoming widespread. The image of â€Å"the smell of rot filling the country† also reinforces this idea of an unstoppable spread of decay, infiltrating the whole country bit by bit. This spreading decay is not only literal in the text, but it also symbolizes the proliferation of social injustice and inequality that is infecting the country. Interestingly, the text uses the spreading decay of the fruit as a cause, a symptom and a symbol of the spreading social inequality and discontent. The decaying fruit is a cause of the social discontent, as the rotting fruit is an affront to those who cannot afford to buy enough food for themselves and their families. As the text says: â€Å"a million people hungry, needing the fruit – and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains†. People are literally forced to watch â€Å"potatoes float by†, â€Å"screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime†, and â€Å"mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze†. The waste of good food is thus a cause of separation between producers and consumers, as the potential consumers of produce cannot understand the willful destruction of fruit and food that could have been such a benefit to them. We see in the text a very vivid depiction of this causal relationship: â€Å"children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange†. Social inequality and intense discontent is thus created, forming a rift in the different class groups. The rotting fruit is also a symptom of an even greater social inequality, which puts the â€Å"great owners† in direct opposition with the â€Å"people†, the â€Å"little farmers†. The economic system in which the farming community has been forced to work has lead to this situation, resulting in rotting fruit and a spreading decay. It is because of the low prices set for fruit by the great owners and the banks that fruit is no longer profitable to be picked. The great owners can let prices drop on fruit because they make profit from also owning canneries, and thus have a growing monopoly on the fruit trade. Little farmers are increasingly edged out of the market, as they are unable to make any sort of profit from picking the fruit and selling it. The amount of money it would cost just to hire enough people to pick the fruit would be more than they would make from the subsequent selling of the picked fruit. Fruit must then be left to rot, and it is thus a symptom of the inequality that exists between the corporations and the independent farmers. Symbolically, however, the rotting fruit is also a representation in itself of the social inequality and discontent that is spreading. Society itself is succumbing to a decay that is spreading rapidly and visibly.