Motif
What is the role of money/wealth in the novel for both families?
Money/wealth, for both families, act sometimes as a reflection of their personalities and a physical part of the family heritage that gets passed down from generation to generation. For example, Samuel Hamilton earns enough money for the family to survive, but never becomes rich. He, however, never cheats when making his money and works with integrity. Everyone truly believes “Samuel should have been rich from his well rig and his threshing machine and his shop, but he had no gift for business” as he could not collect money from his fellow neighbors (Steinbeck 10). The way he earns money truly reflects his character as being hard-working, honest, and genuine.
On the other hand. Cyrus is questioned by his own two sons as they believe that “if he lied about the war-why, he could steal” to accumulate that large sum of fortune (Steinbeck 69). This shows that even his two sons question the source of his fortune and therefore question his morality. Unlike Samuel who shows more work put in to earn his money, Cyrus has the easy way out. In these ways, money and wealth can act as a mirror or a reflection showing the work ethics and personalities of a person.
Ironically, Steinbeck does not put all the emphasis on the separation between rich and poor and the money/wealth playing the role of creating a hierarchy where the Hamilton’s and the Trask’s cannot mix. Trask’s rely on Samuel Hamilton for all the help he provides. This seemed like a nice break and an interesting way to bring up wealth when compared to the other novels read in the past that emphasized the widening gaps of social hierarchy.
On the other hand. Cyrus is questioned by his own two sons as they believe that “if he lied about the war-why, he could steal” to accumulate that large sum of fortune (Steinbeck 69). This shows that even his two sons question the source of his fortune and therefore question his morality. Unlike Samuel who shows more work put in to earn his money, Cyrus has the easy way out. In these ways, money and wealth can act as a mirror or a reflection showing the work ethics and personalities of a person.
Ironically, Steinbeck does not put all the emphasis on the separation between rich and poor and the money/wealth playing the role of creating a hierarchy where the Hamilton’s and the Trask’s cannot mix. Trask’s rely on Samuel Hamilton for all the help he provides. This seemed like a nice break and an interesting way to bring up wealth when compared to the other novels read in the past that emphasized the widening gaps of social hierarchy.
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