Ｓｔｅｉｎｂｅｃｋ’ｓ Ｅｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌ Ｔｈｏｕｇｈｔ Ｐｅｒｃｅｉｖｅｄ ｆｒｏｍ Ｔｈｅ Ｇｒａｐｅｓ ｏｆ Ｗｒａｔｈ

马娜薇

Abstract:John Steinbeck, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in1962, is one of the great American writers of the 20th century. In his entire prolific writing carrier, he creates the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939. The novel is so important that it is regarded as Steinbeck's best work, and one of the 20 books that have changed the USA. This paper aims at analyzing The Grapes of Wrath from ecocritic approach, in order to explore the ecological thought of John Steinbeck, which is beneficial to building a harmonious society.

Key words:Ecocriticism Ecological Thought Harmonious Relationship The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was published in the 1930s. Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers, the Joads, driven from their home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in the agriculture industry. In a nearly hopeless situation, they set out for California's Central Valley along with thousands of other "Okies" in search of land, jobs, and dignity. Since the publication of The Grapes of Wrath, there have been divergent comments on the novel; however, if read it in the light of ecocriticism, readers can find Steinbeck's advanced ecological thought that the harmony between man and nature, man and man is the key to improve ecology and avoid ecological disaster.

一、Harmonious Relationship Between Man and Nature

In the 20th century, John Steinbeck already believed that Man could not survive without nature, although Man had the power to change nature. The relationship between man and nature is reflected in man's dependence on and conscious activity in nature. The Grapes of Wrath opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. Women and men seek refuge in their houses and have to tie handkerchiefs over their noses and wear goggles to protect their eyes when they venture out. The film of dust is so thick that when morning comes, there is no real daylight; the sun appears as a dim red circle that gives little brightness. At night it is pitch black because the stars cannot penetrate the dust. Even though the doors and windows of all the houses are wedged with cloth, the dust creeps inside and covers everything."Dust" is repeated twenty -seven times in Chapter One.

Although the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma face the serious poor situation, they are still reluctant to leave the land and give up the land they live on. The land is their life, their mother, everything to them. The land belongs to farmers and farmers belong to the land. They can not be separated from the land. The Joads family are forced to leave the land they live on. When they finish packing, Grampa decides not to leave. "Grampa's eyes had dulled, and there was none of the old meanness in them." "I ain't sayin' for you to stay. Yu go right on along.Me-I'm stayin'. I give her a goin-ove all night mos'ly. This here's my country. I b'long here. An' don't givea goddamn if they's oranges an' grapes crowdin a fella outa bed even. I ain't a-goin' This country ain't no good, but it's my country. I'll jus' stay right here where I b'long" (Steinbeck, 1939) Grampa knows that it is better if he goes, however, he is attached to the land and cannot break himself free. He cannot go on, neither mentally nor physically away from the land to which he feels he belongs. Mentally, Grampa is dead by the time the Joad family crosses the Oklahoma border. Physically, he dies soon afterwards. Grampa cannot bear to travel to a new place, even though he pretends to be happy about it. This breaking of his connection to the land forces him to die. When they finally leave the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, "Ma tried to look back, but the body of the load cut off her view. She straightened her head and peered straight ahead along the dirt road. And a great weariness was in her eyes. The people on top of the load did look back". (Steinbeck,1939) The Joad family do not want to move, they prefer to stay on the land they grew up on, much the same as the willow does. The willow is described as being unmovable and never bending to the wind or dust. Getting thrown off the land was sort of like losing their family history.

Land is part of nature that we think to be our mother. Our relationship with land should be one of respect and care. When seeing the land exploited ruthlessly, farmers, feeling deep bitterness, are unwilling to see the land destroyed. "You know the land is poor. You've scrabbled at it long enough, God knows."(Steinbeck, 1939) Land is moaning, farmers are groaning.

Humanity is part of nature as well as land and nature needs humanity to care. Once we abuse this relationship, we can expect problems. Tom's captivity results in the alienation of the land. He returned home only to find his homeland in complete desolation. "They paused at the dry watering trough and the proper weeds that should grow under a trough were gone. Joad looked into the tube of the well and listened. He dropped a clod down the well and listened. He said I can't hear water." ( Steinbeck, 1939) The Joad family leaves their land so that they cut the love knot towards the land. Leaving their land, on the westward road, they have to face hunger, squalor and humiliation. Consequently, the Joad family's alienation of the land leads to even more miserablelife.

To human beings, environment is vital. After spending a number of years in one place, human being will be undoubtedly attached to the place. This is extremely true with farmers. They spend their lives learning the land around them. The land becomes a friend to them, throughout people's lives. When forced to move away from the land, these people lose a part of themselves, and suffer both mentally and physically. People are sentimentally dependent on the land.

Care for Nature today, nature will care for you tomorrow. On the contrary, nature will work against humanity. The heavy produce did not provide the migrants with a good life, but with an even more miserable life. "The yellow jackets dig into the soft meat, and there is a smell of ferment and rot. Then the grapes-we can't make good wine. People can't buy good wine. Rip the grapes from the vines, good grapes, rotten grapes, wasp-stung grapes. Press stems, press dirt and rot. A million people hungry, needing the fruit-and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country." (Steinbeck, 1939) The greediness has come to the extreme that spreads over the State. "The decay spreads over the State, and the sweet smell is a great sorrow on the land." (Steinbeck, 1939) Over-emphasizing man's position and disregarding natural objects would pose a serious ecological disaster. Steinbeck enlightened us about the fact that everything in nature has its own living methods and its tolerance is limited.

The Grapes of Wrath arouses us to rethink of our development pattern. The cruel reality requires that we should carefully examine the process of societal development, summarize the experience and lessons of traditional development patterns, and seek new development patterns so that we can establish the harmonious relationship between man and nature. The harmony between man and nature also depends on the harmony between man and man.

二、Harmonious Relationship Between Man and Man

When we stress the harmony between man and nature to improve ecology in the practice of preservation and sustainable development, harmony between man and man should not be neglected. Valuing the relationship between man and man can lead to a deeper understanding of John Steinbeck's ecological thought. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck advocates the harmony between man and man which is interpreted by his group-man theory revealing his ecological thought. John Steinbeck thought that the life of human being is similar to the life of sea creatures and put forward the "group-man theory". He thinks that in the ocean world, animals compete as well as cooperate. Every species is unique and makes a peculiar contribution to the wholeness of an entire system of vitality and is closely interdependent on each other within the interrelated wholeness.

On the westward road, the meeting in Bethany between Joad family and the Wilsons is meaningful for them, from which Steinbeck reveals the harmonious relationship between man and man. The Joad family happens to camp near the Wilsons' touring car when Granpa has a stroke and finally Granpadies in Mr Milson's tent. Significantly, at that time, Mrs Wilson has been ill but still accepts Granpa sick to death. Sairy Wilson voices her folk philosophy on the subject: " We'r proud to help. I ain't felt so-safe in a long time. People needs-to help." (Steinbeck, 1939) The Joad family goes beyond family concerns to help the Wilsons. The kindness of the Wilsons is remunerated. Al offers to fix Mr Wilson's car and returns the Wilsons' obligation. They are acting together in a time of trouble. The Joads needs a tent to place Grampa so he can die peacefully, and the Wilsons need the Joads to repair their car. In fact, they found an alliance on the deepest sort of kinship which is not of one's own blood. Tom suggests that they share the ride with the Wilsons. Ma says: "Each'll help each, an' we'll all git to California."(Steinbeck, 1939) When the Joad family have to leave the Wilsons, Ma gives them two bills although the Joad family do not have enough money to go to California. The refugees who are strange to each other walk on the same survival road and have the same language so that they can get relief among the community in the same terrible situation.

Tom Joad's shift in thinking also reflects the idea of the harmony between man and man. At the very beginning, Tom, released from the prison, thinks of just his own affairs. He is eager to make up for what he has lost while in prison. Later he is more concerned with the welfare of the family. When we last see him he has shifted to trying to do what is best for all the migrant people by trying to organize them into striking. He tells his mother bye and he leaves to help the others. In effect Jim Casy becomes his teacher, converting him by word and by his own example to the idea that a man cannot just look after himself and should be in the spirit of compassion that a man is obligated to help others. Casy is a harmonious man. He believes in unity and he believes that, because people are all part of something greater than themselves, we should help one another. He believes that we should work together because otherwise we are all lost. "Although he is still an outlaw of society at the end of the book, his status is actually changed: he fighting for social amelioration, a better way of life for his people and for all struggling people." (Liu Yan , 1996) Tom has absorbed Jim Casys message that “two are better than one”, and relates to it the agrarian philosophy and the thought to group action. “ I been thinkin how it was in that govment camp, how our folds took care a theirselves, an if they was a fight they fixed it thierself; an' they wasn't no cops waggling' their guns, but they was better order than them no cops waggln' their guns, but they was better order than them cops ever give. I been awonderin' why we can't do that all over. Throw out the cops that ain't our own lan'." (Steinbeck, 1939)

Steinbeck's consciousness of harmonious relationship between Man and Man gives us valuable edification. The harmony between man and man motivates society. Society is defined as a web of relationships, which requires all parties to work and contribute their share in order to achieve a common goal. Having a good relationship, where cooperation and respect are manifested, we can make society work better. Each member of society works for the good of the whole and towards achieving a common goal. This can only be attained with harmonious relationships between man and man.

Harmony, the essence of ecological thought, includes not only the harmony between man and nature but also the harmony between man and man. As a social organism, everyone must be influenced by each other. Every species is unique and makes a peculiar contribution to the wholeness of an entire system of vitality and is closely interdependent on each other within the interrelated wholeness. Human and other critters are at the same position including nature. If Man cannot maintain the harmony between man and man, Man cannot keep the harmonious relationship between man and nature. The only way to improve our ecology is for all citizens of the world to practice harmony from within and out the family, even beyond nation and to the world. It seemed that John Steinbeck had realized the significance of harmony between man and man for keeping the ecological balance to avoid ecological disaster. "Steinbeck did not want to study man outside his natural setting, understanding that even the smallest of human interactions are, on some level, governed by the individual's place within his or her physical context."(Parini, 1994)

三、Conclusion

As a conscientious and responsible writer, John Steinbecks ecological thought reflected in The Grapes of Wrath still enlightens us today. Steinbeck makes us contemplate the irreparable destruction that human beings have done to nature and his advanced prophetic warnings concerning the relationship between human beings and nature.

The future of human beings depends on how we develop a harmonious relationship with nature and on how we apply science, technology, and industry to building such a harmonious relationship. Therefore, humans should explore the types of social systems and science and technology that promote a harmonious relationship between human beings and nature.

Under the increasingly worsening environmental conditions, interpretation of Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath from the ecological respective undoubtedly bears realistic and far-reaching significance.

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