For the final posting of this book, I read chapters 29 and 30. In these last chapters, the boxcar that the Joads have been living in starts to flood. While they are all trying to fix it, Ma realizes Rose of Sharon is having her baby. It dies during birth. Pa tells Uncle John to bury the dead baby. Instead, Uncle John lets the baby float down the stream to send a message. They decide to leave the boxcar and spot a barn on a hill. When they get there, a boy is with his father. The boy says his father is starving. Rose of Sharon begins to breast feed the man and smiles.
I think the last part of the book where Rose of Sharon breast feeds the man and smiles, makes her happy because she feels like it is her own baby. I think this was a happy ending because they all find a barn to sleep in, they all have jobs to get money and food, and they aren't sick or on the verge of death. I thought it was a good way to end the book after all of the chaos that occurred earlier in the story.
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6/6 entries for 2/17/09
ReplyDeleteGreat reading. Do you notice how often you write "I think it's sad that..."? Why do you think Steinbeck keeps laying on the sorrow, the deaths, the missed opportunities?
I'm glad you've chosen an adventure for your next book--at least the sorrow will be alleviated by action. I look forward to hearing what you think.