An Analysis of The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck from the Perspective of Ethics 从伦理角度分析斯坦贝克的《愤怒的葡萄》文献综述

 2023-05-15 09:05

文献综述

文 献 综 述1. Introduction1.1 Introduction to John SteinbeckJohn Steinbeck (1902-1968), is an American writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. He was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, American Bestseller Association Award and Community Service of the Day Award in 1940 for his novelThe Grapes of Wrath(1939). He was praised for for his realistic as well as imaginative writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humour and a keen social perception(The Nobel Prize for Literature, 1962). The works of Steinbeck mainly reflect his condemnation to human destruction of the nature, criticism of anthropocentrism and praise of human collectivism. Steinbeck was born in California in 1902. His mother, Olivia Hamilton, was an elementary school teacher, and Steinbeck read a lot during his childhood. In 1925, Steinbeck became a reporter for The New York Times but soon became disillusioned and bored with being a journalist. So he returned to California and devoted himself to writing. His first novel, Cup of Gold, about a pirate who became governor, was published in 1929. The novel was subtitled as The Life Story of Sir Henry Morgan the Pirate. In 1932, he published his novel The Pastures of Heaven, an interlude about several farmers in California. And in 1933, To a God Unknown, about a familys westward migration to California, was published. Murder (1934) won the O. Henry Award in 1934. In 1935, his novella called Tortilla Flat, which describes the life and friendship of a group of tramps, won the California Club Gold Medal of the year. From this book on, Steinbeck s work began attracting critical attention. In Dubious Battle (1936), about a strike in an orchard, won the California Award for Best Novel of 1936. Besides writing, he alsoreported on the living conditions of homeless hired laborers in Salinas and Bakersfield, and traveled to Mexico. Of Mice and Men (1937), about the disillusionment of wandering seasonal workers life ideals, became anbestseller and was selected for the Monthly Book Club. It was adapted into a play and performed in New York. It was so popular that it won the Quarterly Award issued by New York Theater Critics Circle. Steinbeck spent the year traveling through New York to England, Sweden and the Soviet Union. He returned to join seasonal farm workers in Oklahoma who moved west to California. In 1938, he published a collection of short stories, The Long Valley, including thirteen works. The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which was set against the background of the Great Economic Panic in the United States, describing the bankruptcy, flight and struggle of farmers in the Midwest states, caused a sensation and prompted the government to investigate the living conditions of seasonal farm workers as soon as it was published. Steinbeck was elected a member of the National Academy of Arts and Letters in the same year. 1.2 Introduction to The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath is set in the bankruptcy, desertion and struggle of farmers in Midwest states in times of economic crisis. Farmers heavily in debt in Oklahoma and the neighboring states, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas, lost their land and had to move to the west to make a living in California. The novel is represented by the Joad family, narrating the tough time of their family fleeing from Oklahoma to California. They sold everything in exchange for an old car to flee to the west. However, when they arrived in California, everything was not as rosy as they had imagined. Unemployment, hunger and hardship still awaited them. There, the wages of tenants was lowered because of the surplus labor, and local forces extorted and persecuted vagrant farmers. Finally the angry farmers united and rose up to fight. The 'wrath' in the title of the novel, the Grapes of Wrath, is a strong protest against the unfair social system that leads to poverty. 1.3 Need of the studyAs mentioned above, the need of analyzing The Grapes of Wrath under the guidance of the ethical relativism theory is essential to multiple aspects. First of all, this thesis explores the intimate correlation between men and nature and further investigates the equivalence of different classes and the significance of the ecological holism, which can provide a comprehensive research field in regard to The Grapes of Wrath. Secondly, the studyisofsomepracticalsignificance.Considering Steinbecks unique writing style, it helps to learn writing techniques from this novel. From his description of characters, Steinbeck usually describes them from external, rather than exploring the subtle psychology of each character. Meanwhile, Steinbeck makes his characters typical rather than personalized. On the other hand, it contributes to the realization of social equity and the seek for harmony between men and nature. Steinbeck affectionately eulogizes the mutual assistance between people, highly praising of harmonious interpersonal relations. This thesis aims to raise peoples ecological consciousness and call on them to live in harmony with nature.2. Literature review Most relevant essays, including Sobchacks (1979), Gals (2011) and Huangs (2018), mainly interpret The Grapes of Wrath from theperspectiveofecologism, placing emphasis on ecological destruction. This perspective accords with the authors writing style. Many of John Steinbecks works deals with the relationship between land and people of the United States. He speaks for the poor and the oppressed and his novels depict sympathetic roles who seems to be authentic as well as a broad and magnificent picture of American at that time.Steinbecks novels had long been interpreted as left-wing literature during the economic crisis of the 1930s, when critics generally praised highly of his works. Eco-criticism is an important aspect included in his works while the opposition of civilization and nature is reflected among the words and between the lines. Steinbeck advocates harmony between man and nature so that his ecological holism is mainly reflected on his condemnation to human destruction of the nature, criticism of anthropocentrism and praise of human collectivism. Therefore, it is reasonable that previous studies, including Sobchacks (1979), Gals (2011), Huangs (2018) and so on, mainly analyze this novel from theperspectiveofecologism. In Steinbecks works, his observation and description of various living conditions under the the context of scarcity, play a prominent and decisive role. Sobchack (1979) points out a common feature in his novels (including most of his journalistic works) that he expresses his profound thoughts on the essence and transcendence of human society. Roediger (2011) interprets poverty to a state of extreme material deprivation. The characters generally live in conditions of scarcity or rather, he is persistent in describing various lives of the poor under the condition of poverty. His writing about causes of poverty is certainly related to the realistic theme while his deeper concerns lie in the investigation of poverty and the exploration of scarcity in that time. Gal (2011) mentions that Steinbecks concern on material poverty is finally transformed into his way of experiencing the world. He reveals the truth that poverty brings people great pain, even devastating pain, but also focuses on depicting the dignity of human that has not been crushed and destroyed in the great pain. Whats more, the dignity seems to be everlasting and could only be destroyed but never be defeated. 3. TheTheoryofEthical Relativism3.1. Definition and BackgroundThe paper is to interpret The Grapes of Wrath from the perspective of ethical relativism, the position that all points of view are equally valid and the individual determines what is true and relative for them. Relativism theorizes that truth is different for different people, not simply that different peoplebelievedifferent things to be true. While there are relativists in science and mathematics, ethical relativism is the most common variety of relativism. In western ethics, relativism can be traced back to Protagoras, an ancient Greek sage in the 5th century BC. Hobbes, Mandeville and Locke in modern times also had the tendency of ethical relativism. Ethical relativism plays a leading role in modern western ethics and has become one of its most important characteristics. Neo - positivism, Pragmatism, Existentialism and various forms of Situation Ethics are all extreme forms of Relativism. 6. ConclusionThis paper consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the background information of the author John Steinbeck, his novel The Grapes of Wrath and the theory of ethical relativism together with the significance of this thesis. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the ethical relativism theory, including its definition, rise and development and previous studies. Chapters 3 focuses on the analysis of The Grapes of Wrath from the perspective of Ethical Relativism, mainly from the relativism among roles and among various classes. Chapter 4 discusses the causes and results. Chapter 5 is a comprehensive reflection on the whole research and summarizes results from the perspective of Ethical Relativism. 7. ReferencesDr.Sc. Demush Bajrami, MSc. Blerina Demiri(2019). Ethical Relativism and Morality. ILIRIA College.Gal, D., 458.John J. Tilley. (2000). Cultural Relativism. Human Rights Quarterly, 22(2), 501547.Nieuwany Jagna, Nowakowski Karol, Ptaszyński Michal et al(2021). Does change in ethical education influence core moral values? Towards history- and culture-aware morality model with application in automatic moral reasoning[J] Cognitive Systems Research, 66.Sobchack, V. C. (1979). The Grapes of Wrath (1940): Thematic Emphasis Through Visual Style. American Quarterly, 31(5), 596615. Taylor, P. W. (1954). Four Types of Ethical Relativism. The Philosophical Review, 63(4), 500516.北京语言学院语言教学研究所（编）（1986），《现代汉语频率词典》。

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