Critical Essay

I read the essay about how The Grapes of Wrath relates of the poetry of William Blake.  I really enjoyed reading this essay and realizing how well these pieces of the puzzle fit together.  Not only do they come together in a very universal way, but also in a religious way as well.  This essay makes it seem like the theme of this book is somewhat of the following: "People go from innocence, to experience, and back to innocence again."  This holds true especially to Rose of Sharon.  She is very innocent in the beginning of the novel.  She is a new mother-to-be that has no idea of what's to come. but once the baby is born, she gains the experience of being a mother (well not really), but then it turns again to innocence in the fact that she only holds what she can give, which is her breast milk from her dead child.  Another example of this is when the Joad family is forced out of their homeland and into something very new, and obscure to them.  Their innocence resides on their little farm in which they used to own.  Their experience comes once they are forced out of their home and into a "Hooverville" and then they regain their innocence by moving to yet another Hooverville and not knowing what's to happen next.  This relates directly to Blake's idea of innocence, to experience, and back to innocence.  William Blake's idea of this concept is from childhood, to growing older and to Christ.  These are the equivalent to innocent, experience and back to innocence.  I found a quote in this essay to be very interesting.  "And mercy no more could be/  If all were as happy as we. /  And mutual fear brings peace, /  Till the selfish loves increase."  This reminds me of The talk we had in class in regards to the two distinct peoples of this time.  There were the very selfish people who insisted on doing everything themselves, and the people who were willing to give everything they owned to those in need.  These selfish people included the woman who was brave enough to yell at Ma, simply because she fed the other woman's children.  The other group of people involved the men and women such as Ma, who would give all they had until there was nothing left.  It was these type of people who kept everyone's head above water in times like these.  Without them, there would simply be no hope.