Thursday, January 11, 2007
Chapter 1
Defend, refute, or qualify the following quote: "Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole." For example, would this quote still be true in our modern world? Why or why not? Use textual support. Don't forget to sign your name!
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This quote is still in today's world. The idea is probably not as popular and widespread as it used to be, but it's there. Back then many women didn't work, they did the household chores.This meant all they had to rely on was the income from the farm, therefore they had to have faith or they'd crack. Today that is true in the same sort of instance, when the man of the house is the only one with a job, the woman must believe that the man will pull through.
If the man of the house was calm and didn't worry then the woman knew that they were safe. The women relied on theier husbands for comfort and support. This quote would still be true today in most situations. Today some women work but most of the income is still brought home by the man.
In America today, women are no longer as reliant on men to survive. Since the 1930’s, women have pushed forward in society, gaining independence, and self-sufficiently. Since women are able to make their own income and support themselves, the quote isn’t as relevant now as it was 75 years ago. With women in the workplace, they don’t have to rely on anyone else for financial reassurance because they can make their own money. Back in the 30’s, women did not have the opportunities they do today; therefore they had no choice but to rely on their husbands income.
Today women are not as dependant on men as they were back in this time period. Women can do more things today than what was allowed of them in the 30s. The quote, "Women and children knew deep inside themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole," so if the man didnt think that too much trouble would come from a problem, then neither did the women and the children because their opinions were not valued on equal grounds. Such is not the case today. Women's opinions in some affairs matter just as much as the opinions of men.
In the novel, the women along with the children look to the male figures for guidance and leadership. Not only does the era of their time associate masculinity with power, but as the leading if not only wage-earner in the family, men weilded administrative power in the household. While today the husband is not necessarily the leading wage-earner, the association between masculinity and power and importance of strong male figures still stand true.
In business it is the strong and forceful that succeed. Even women supress some of their more feminine to be taken seriously.
Today men are still a core ingredient to family structure. The lack of father figures have continually link to delinquent behavior.
In the 1930s, women and children were practically forced to depend on men. Men also gave women and children a sense of hope. The novel says, "..women came out of the houses to stand beside their men-to feel whether this time the men would break." In other words, if the men could stand to still have a morsel of hope throughout the hardships which occured during the Dust Bowl, men and children could keep an ounce of hope themselves.
However, in present-day America, women and children are surrounded by new and exciting opportunites day-in and day-out. Women are taught by society that they are independent; they do not need to rely on a man to lead a successful life. The concept of independence seems to be instilled into young minds of both genders early on in life. Phrases this generation grew up hearing such as, "You can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it",are an example. Therefore, in spite of the fact women and children were both dependent on men in the early to mid twentieth century, this is no longer the case.
Years ago the men were the head of the family and they either held a family together or tore it apart. Today some people follow the same rules while others make their own rules.
For the most part familys used to be made of a mother a father and their children. Today however there can be in laws grandparents cousins and many other relatives besides the "normal" family
In the 1930's women had nothing to depend on but the strength of their husbands. According to a quote from the novel the only way women knew that everything was going to be alright was by judging by whether or not their husband's broke down. In the present this is not so. There are many women going through all the misfortunes of life on their own. For example there are those single women who are raising families and working jobs at the same time. They have no husband to assure them that they will overcome the obstacles that stand in their way.
In the 1930's women and children were all dependant on the working male in the household, especially in the Midwest. The older men would go to work, most likely on a farm, and the women and younger children would do household chores. Today, the quote does hold some truth, but more and more women are supporting themselves independantly and successfully. However, there still are some cases where women and children rely solely on the masculine head of the family.
This quote greatly represents women and children in todays world, just for different reasons. In the 1930's this would mean the man did the work, no matter what they felt, the farm was the most important, so in the end the reward was worth it. In today's superficial society this quote represents the men who are work-a-holics, and aslong as the wife and children have the material items and money, they are content. Both the past and modern times it is always about the security and comfort.
the quote applies to life today.the women and children of todays society and those of the dust bowl era are similar in that they know when something is wrong and check to see if the men are going to be able to handle it.
They always look to the man for answers.
This quote was applicable to the past, but, presently, this idea is not as fitting. In the novel, it was the man's responisibility to analyze the situation and find a solution. The women and children looked to the men for security and stability. In the modern world, equality thrives among men and women. Not necessarily in the workforce, but in the decision-making. Women have the opportunity to recieve the same education as men and can work for about the same salary as a man. Because women are more educated, they can have an equal role in figuring out how to cope with stressful times. It is not only about women having the ability to earn money for survival; it is about being able to problem solve and find security within one's self.
While women have made great strides toward becoming more independent, the vast majority of them still remain dependent, at least to some extent, on the man of the house. Women and children often look at their husband or father as the "leader" of the household. They believe that as long as their leader is doing fine, everything will be all right.
In the 1930's, women and children could, in no way, support themselves. Women could barely obtain a job, not allowing her to bring in enough of an income to be sufficient for herself, let alone her family. Today, this is untrue. Not only have women become self sufficient, they are excelling at being independent. Back then, divorce was uncommon because the women depended on their husbands to survive. Today, as one statistic that I have seen has shown that almost half of all married couples get divorced. Although sad, it illustrates women's ability to live on their own, and even provide for a family. Therefore, this quote is untrue today.
One of the differences between men and women of that era was motivation. Men strived to be successful and give their family an easy life, whereas a woman's role was to raise children and maintain a household. Women's roles were different in that succeeding in society economically was not their responsibility. They understood that if their husbands simply attempted to provide what little they needed for their existence that the opportunity for such was available even though becoming the envied family in the town may no longer be possible.
The roles of men and women in our current times are not the same as seventy years ago, therefore the quote is not entirely true. Surviving is no longer the struggle it once was, sure it may be hard for a single mom to provide for her child but it no longer seems to be a fight for their life. The fact is, they can survive without a husband because the basic necessities of life are much easier to obtain now.
As stated before this quote is an example of women’s dependency on men, but also it is an example of the family’s dependency on each other. This quote would be true in our modern world, yet not to the extent it would have been during the thirties. In the Dust Bowl era women, along with the entire family, went through great sacrifices for the good of the family. Women were expected to run the household while children were expected to stay home from school at an early age and begin working on the farms. The way I interpreted the quote children, men and women went through misfortunes and tribulations simply to survive, and their drive to succeed came from each other. Today families rely on each other, but not to the extent of how it was then. In that era it was essential to work together to provide meals, and keep the household running. That is not the situation today.
Women in children are alone much of the time now in today's world as a result of children prior to marriage and as a result of divorce. Because of this they often do not know what it is like living with a adult male figure so they learn to rely on themselves in hard times because that is all they have to rely on.
This quote is very difficult to apply to today's world, since society and its expectations have changed dramatically. Women now have a much different role in the family, sometimes they are the breadwinners, homemakers, and sometimes even a “father” when there is no father in their children’s lives. Women are not expected to sit at home, clean, cook and sew; but rather they are allowed more freedom as some husbands themselves are the homemakers. However, in some relationships, when the men suffer greatly and are “broken” the whole family suffers and this can be the cause of divorce. Every home situation is different and it is difficult for this quote to be a general statement as it would have been in the 30s.
In Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck clearly illustrates through several textual examples that women are dependent on men. Although that might have been historically appropriate at the time, both the opportunities offered by society and their attitudes towards women have drastically changed since the 1930's. When Steinbeck mentions the waitress at the truck stop, we see that this was the typically life for a woman who was possibly single or didn't have a husband at that time. Furthermore, it paid very little and allowed you to be an object of flirtation. Today, single women have a larger amount of job opportunities. Also, the differences between men and women are shown when a woman swerves to miss the turtle in chapter four, while a man purposely tries to hit it. Women are stereotyped thus far as kind and nurturing, while men are reckless and daring. Even Joad and Casy, who is supposedly a religious man, are longing for female attention, but in a way that is demeaning to women. Although society's mindset towards women has changed and they have more opportunities, this quote might be true in many instances. The stereotype of women as vulnerable nurturers still exists and whether they fit into this stereotype at all is irrelevent simply because it is human nature for women to rely on and trust their husbands.
This quote can not be as easily defended today as it could have been in previous years. In the 1930's Women completely depened on her husband. He was known as the head of the house, and what he said or believed was how the house was ran. All income was brought in by the head of the house. Women were just to do the daily chores and take care of the children.
Today this is not always the case. Yes, there are still stay at home mothers that completely depend on their husbands, but in many cases the women can control everything. As the years have past women have been able to gain more freedoms allowing them to grow in the working world. The roles are even switched at times when the fathers even stay at home in place of the mother. Unfortunately roles change in the family because divorce has become more common in recent years. Women and men have to be considered equals in this situation because both have become the head of their own households. Men are no longer completely superior over women therefore the quote is not totally relevant anymore.
This quote was valid during the Dust Bowl especially, as the father was, literally and figurativly speaking, the man of the house. The man decided when times were too difficult to remain inhabitants of a particular area and he decided where to move to. Currently, the family puts emphasis on the mother's sanity and composure as well. Now, not only are families forced to rely on the tranquility of the male, but also the female of the family. If one of those parties began to fall apart, the family would be equally damaged or affected.
This quote can only be considered true or false depending on which view you believe in. Feminists would not believe that women and children would believe in this and consider this to almost be like an insult. The book somewhat centers around this quote, yet still paint the women in a stronger view than is portrayed by the quote. Personally, this quote is a bit one sided for my tastes, especially in today's world. This is yet another barrier stating that a man must keep stoic and calm in situations and allow the women to weep and carry the emotion.
At the time and setting of the novel, the quote definitely rings true because woment depeneded on their husbands for a financial base. However, in a city - even at this same time - this quote may not necessarily be true because cities allowed women some independence.
In today's world, the quote is once again only able to be effectively evaluated based on the situation. Education and higher job opportunities allow women to take the lead role, but house wives are still existence and they would still depend on their husbands to get through anything even today.
Allison Stuewe
The quote is applicable to both today and to the 1930s; it is applicable in situations where the man of the house provides a vast majority of the families income, and where that income comes from an unreliable source such as farming or working as an unskilled laborer. When faced with the problem of a failed crop or losing one's job, the men of the house have one of two choices. They can either continue trying to make a living, or they can give up. The quote describes how the women rely on their husbands making the right decision, to continue trying, for they know that if they don't the family will not be able to keep living as it is presently.
The quote is more applicable to the time and setting of the novel due to the fact that more families fit into the category described above. These types of families still exist today, however they exist much fewer in numbers.
It is interesting to see how dependent of men the women and children were because it seems like if the men of the house suffered, the women and children would also suffer. In the book it talks about how the women would study the men, and the children would study the men and women to see if they would break. This shows how much the women and children would rely on the men. In today’s world, women and children are not as dependent on men as they were during the Dust Bowl period. Many women can make enough income to support themselves, and sometimes even their children, because of all the good paying jobs. Another way that many women are able to support themselves is because of all the child support money. This still shows that men are a base for support and income.
While women relied on their husbands to take care of them in the 30's, it seems almost the opposite today. Millions of women are working mothers who balance work, with taking care of the house and the children, and in some instances, the husband. While some men do take care of a majority of the finances, without these power wives, men would be lost.
Women have become more and more self-sufficient over the years. In the 1930's they couldn't work nor support their families without a man in the household. As long as the man of the family was "whole," the family knew they were going to be fine. If he showed any signs of weakness then the family would begin to panic. This somewhat applies to life today in the manner that the family looks to the man for support, but women have also stepped into this role.
The woman in the story are very dependant on the men so if the men act scared or worried then the woman don't feel safe. It was the mens job to keep the family together by acting tough and getting through the Dust Bowl. In modern days women are as dependant on men as they used to so this quote might not be as popular is it was then. Women can survive on their own don't have to have a man to get through tough times!
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