Do you believe that the Grapes of Wrath successfully establishes sympathy for the plight of Dust Bowl farmers? Why or why not?
I think that the Grapes of Wrath is trying too hard to establish said sympathy for those affected by the Dust Bowl, i.e. Farmers. the book tries to incorporate every terrible thing possible into this book until it seems jumbled. The book even starts out miserable, desperate for the reader's sadness and sympathy, mentioning how CHILDREN and WOMEN are looking for their man's reassurance and how there is nothing truly there. Comparing banks to monsters are another cry for attention, and saying how tractors "rape the earth" is quite a hyperbole.
Having several characters die/run away is also trying too hard to be sympathetic. Surely, not everyone at once should die just because they're journeying west to California, and not everybody suddenly miscarries/stillbirths after their spouse leaves them and some crazy religious lady tells the so. Don't get me wrong, I do feel sympathetic for those who lost their land, their home, and everything else int he Dust Bowl, i.e. farmers and their family, but I can't say that Grapes of Wrath makes me cry over it.
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