Grapes of Wrath: FIN.

Let's just say I spent a great deal of this last section of Grapes of Wrath dragging my proverbial feet because I knew the awful, awful ending was coming.



Anyway. In this here section we had The Return Of Casey, the ex-preacher-turned-socialist (Hint: these things? They're not mutually exclusive, Steinbeck), as well as the return of Tom Joad Who Likes To Hit People With Blunt Objects. There was also starvation, strike-busting, evil capitalists (SHOCK), a flood, an engagement (WTAF?) and of course that bizarre ending. And you know what my final conclusion is? This entire book should have been a novella, starting at the moment the family arrives at the peach farm.

Steinbeck was a genius at the tiny book, and there is more action in this last section than in the entire rest of the book combined. And having read most of the rest of Steinbeck's canon, it's easy to say that he could have fit in enough heart-breaking back story about the Joads and Casey in a few sentences, without all the Turtle/Agricultural Progress is Evil/Here is How All Poor People Act In Every Situation At All Times chapters. You know, the ones that contribute nothing except for acting like a leftist version of John Galt's speech. I'm not the sort of reader who bemoans a chunky book just because it's chunky- I think every word of Anna Karenina is necessary- but I could've easily done without the first 3/4 of Grapes of Wrath.

Another benefit of making the book a novella would be that Steinbeck would have less space to write cartoon characters. You know- Big, Bad Policeman (all of them), and Big, Bad Employer/Exploiter of the Poor (all of them), and Poor Traveling Folk From All Over The Middle Of The Country Who For Some Reason All Speak In The Same Oklahoma Dialect (another blogger pointed this out a few weeks ago and now I can't stop thinking about it) And Are All Very Nice To The Other Poor People.


So let's talk about the ending. I think it's largely regarded as ridiculous for a reason, but I don't think the reason is the shock of what Rose of Sharon is actually doing. I think the reason is that the Rose of Sharon we've been with for so long would never do something like that. Steinbeck gives us 400 pages of a selfish, whiny, self-centered brat, and then expects us to believe that she would do something so selfless and abnormal because- what? Her baby died? If she were true to type, that would make her MORE self-pitying and self-righteous- every other tragedy up to this point has done so. I think Ma would've looked deep into her eyes, and Rose of Sharon would've burst into tears and complained about how she was hungry, too, after all she's the one who just did all that labor and has nothing to show for it.


So, the book is preachy to a major fault (even though I agree with a lot of what Steinbeck is saying). The characters, with the exception of a few of the family members (MA, HOW I LOVE YOU) are wooden and two-dimensional. I know this book is beloved by many people because it makes you FEEL THE FEELINGS and HUMAN DIGNITY and hey, I get it. I don't think this is the most successful of Steinbeck's works, but it's a SUPER-SUCCESSFUL work of socialist propaganda (I don't mean that snottily, I think that is literally what it is) and definitely worth the read. I would force it on all the Republicans on the whole wide world if given the chance. 


Read it because you're human, leave your Reviewer/Objective Reader Hat at the door. Three stars out of your mom.

Grapes of Wrath through Chapter 25

Well, folks, we've finally reached California and guess what. Go ahead, guess. No really, guess. Ok, I'll tell you: IT SUCKS JUST LIKE EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAS BEEN TELLING US IT WOULD FOR 300 PAGES ZOOOOMMMMGGGG *explodes.*


Except, except, except it sort of doesn't suck for our friends the Joads because they just so happen to find a nice government facility that so happens to have one space for a family. And while horrible things have been happening left, right and center, we know things aren't as bad as they're going to get for the Joads- which MEANS that we're 300 pages into a 500 page sermon and it's only. Going to get. Worse. I AM SO EXCITED.


And you know what else is just AWESOME? How all the bad people are two dimensions: bad and worse. There's Very Bad Rich People and Very Bad Cops and also Very Bad Religious Crazies. The Joads? All the dimensions! THEY ARE THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM! Which means (and we all know this already) that Steinbeck is perfectly capable of writing complete characters and is choosing not to. Which THEREFORE means he's being purposefully manipulative.

I hate that shit.


Anyway, pet peeves aside, can we talk about how Ma Joad's habit of brandishing blunt weapons whenever she gets annoyed is sort of the greatest? And while that sort of behavior would usually have me whinging about how immature the person is, a poverty-stricken, uneducated woman in the Depression? You beat those idiots, lady. You beat them hard.

OHOHOH so I went and did a bit of research about the Dust Bowl sitch and it turns out that it was the biggest emigration in American history AND back when I was all WHY DIDN'T THEY GO OTHER PLACES THAT WEREN'T CALIFORNIA? They did. About 2.5 million people left the affected states, and about 200,000 of those went to California. Everyone else was taking my advice. Way to retroactively take my advice, past people. Well played.

So, to summarize: yay human dignity, go proto-feminist Ma Joad, Steinbeck, you're pissing me off.

Wallpaper Pictures 05

How to get the most out of using just a single picture (photo or art) on a page? The page can be a page in a magazine, a book, a folder /announcement or a web page.

Using just one photo or picture may be seen as a challenge. But the difference and impression between using no pictures and a single picture is much bigger than the difference between one picture and several pictures on a page, whatever printed material or an online webpage.

A sublime layout with pictures has nothing to do with the number of pictures but how they are used.







Wallpaper Pictures 03

Pictures are truly vehicles to reminiscence. We always want to remember and look back on those moments we feel are very special to us, and the best way to capture these moments is through pictures. When a special moment or occasion arises, the first thing that people want to do is take pictures of it. We may have so many pictures taken over the past years that they may only be tucked away inside photo albums. If you wish to have one or two pictures stand out among the rest and be displayed on your tables or mantles, then the best way to do it is to place them in picture frames. However, if you feel that you want many pictures to come to life on display, the collage picture frame is the answer.

Collage picture frames allow you to incorporate a series or a number of pictures into one frame. Of course, this usually requires a bigger frame than the standard picture frame which caters to individual photos. How is it different from atypical picture frame? Aside from perhaps the size, a collage picture frame is designed to hold an assembly of pictures in one frame alone. Collage picture frames invoke a sense of unity and togetherness with the pictures placed in it, even though it is merely one frame holding a number of pictures. In this kind of picture frame, a number of pictures with a similar theme are mounted together to create a story or a flow of visuals for those who care to see it.








Wallpaper Pictures 02

There are many ways to decorate the interior of your home, none the least of which is with picture frames. Picture frames have the unique ability to personalize a house in more ways than one. You can share with friends, family and visitors your memories and cherished moments.

You don't have to spend a fortune to decorate your home using picture frames. In fact cheap picture frames or discount picture frames look just as classy and elegant as expensive ones. One thing you do need to do before decorating your home however is stock up on picture framing supplies. Be sure you get any matte, mounting equipment and other items you need so you can do your decorating in one fell swoop.







Wallpaper Pictures

Digital picture frames are are a great way to view your favorite pictures, family vacation pictures, baby pictures, well, you get the picture. You can display either one picture, or run a slideshow of many pictures.

This article explains the features you should keep in mind when purchasing a digital picture frame as well as give some interesting uses of how this handy device can be used in your home or business.

Today's digital picture frames range in size from 2 inches to up to 40 inches! Yes, that's right, 40 inches! The most typical size purchased though is from 7 to 10 inches - big enough to display a 4x6 or 5x7 picture. The larger the size, the larger the price.

Decide where you want to place the digital frame first (and make sure it's near a power source), then you'll have a better idea of how big the screen should be for viewing.

With digital frames, you have the option of buying a standard 4:3 aspect ratio size or widescreen 16:9 ratio. The 16:9 ratio will stretch your photos and/or cut off your pictures. Most cameras produce pictures in the standard 4:3 ratio, so choose a picture frame with this standard.