Narrative Study On Survival Plight In The Grapes Of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath is regarded as the masterpiece of American writer JohnSteinbeck. It was created in the1930s. The Grapes of Wrath writes about the tragic life ofthe poor farmers, whose survival plight is the structuring line of the whole novel, andplaying a very important role in the development of story and the implication of the theme.By presenting the farmers’ painstaking struggle and yearning for opportunity and justice,John Steinbeck is trying to reflect man’s yearning and efforts to pursue a new life, whichattaches universal significance to his work.This thesis studies the survival plight of The Grapes of Wrath from the perspective ofnarratology. The theoretical foundation is Gérard Genette’s focalization and JamesPhelan’s theory of narrative voice. The research methods are close reading analysis andexample analysis. The thesis studies how survival plight is expressed and what kind ofsalvation is implied in The Grapes of Wrath. The survival plight of the farmers is mainlypresented by the zero focalization of the narrator, the internal focalization of the charactersand the shifts of focalization of different characters. By focusing on the theory offocalization, readers can have a deep understanding of the survival plight of the farmers.The salvation is expressed mainly by the voice of the narrator, the voice of the charactersand the voice of the implied author. Through the analysis of the narrative voice in thenovel, the voice of Steinbeck can be heard.It can be concluded that the survival plight of the migrant workers lies in decayedeconomy, deteriorative environment, man’s ruthless oppression and loss of belief andfamily in society. Individual efforts, active adaptation to the environmental changes,mutual help, organization and revolt may lead to salvation. However, through themiserable experiences, the farmers learn that unity could help them overcome thedifficulties and the salvation could only be achieved by the unity among them.