University English Professors speak of "Authenticity". Steinbeck's accurate depiction of that 'connecting rod' replacement is an example . {The connecting rod joins the piston head to the crankshaft---it's bolted to the crank by U-bolts . To get at the crank you gotta drain the oil and remove the oil pan and THAT only gets you to half way .} As I wrote earlier, Steinbeck writes AS IF he's done that sort of Mechanic's Work, and even if he HASN'T, he has taken the GREAT-PAINS to experience such a Repair-- which is itself EXCEEDINGLY Commendable . It makes the writing plausible .
Of course The Grapes of Wrath is fiction ,, but it is these technical passages which lend its Truth to the overall thematic structure in such a way that guides the reader to Understanding --- in this instance Steinbeck MAKES you FEEL the rust on your skin, the oil on your face and the flecks of dirt in your mouth . Here it is where one 'activity' is of HEROIC Measure , a man COMING TO THE RESCUE of an entire family so they may continue on the road to AVOID perdition and enter a Promised Land where work is plentiful and Life is once again Sacred . Beautiful I say,, INFINITELY Beautiful .
Here it is where the Hero does NOT wear the Robes of the Wealthy and Highly Born, but rather the scorched denim and hole-ly* flannel of poverty-stricken Toilers .
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