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| The Fleur de Lys |
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"Salvation is not with the love we find in the after life but the love we find here and now."
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The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback and the Song of Solomon, a love song from the Bible, have a very strong connection to
each other through a very profound theme. The theme that connects these two works is this: Whether it is love between God
and his people, or love between people and people, one must enjoy and experience love and life for what it is in this world,
and not hope for these experiences in a supposed afterlife.
"But the Machine man, driving a dead tractor on the land he does not know or love, understands only chemistry; and
he is contemptuous of the land and himself." page 158.
This is a perfect example of the general theme illustrated above. It reinforces that it is a shame that the man is not
one with the land, being seperated by the lifeless technology he has created. By manipulating this machine, this man is intern
manipulated by the machine itself, being unable to love what is around him and know his fellow people for who they are.
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The Song of Solomon; a love song.
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"They's a time of change, an' when that comes, dyin' is a piece of all dyin' and bearin' is a piece of all bearin' an'
bearin' an' dyin' is two pieces of the same thing." page 286 This quote emphasizes the link of all living things to one another,
and the importance of experiencing life here and now, rather than wait for the afterlife.
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The Song of Solomon is a love song taken out of the Bible. This compares with that of The Grapes of Wrath because within the
Grapes of Wrath, there are certain instances where people are trying to coax others into feel good situations.
"Ya full a crap. Why, I knowed a one-legged whore one time. Think she was takin' two-bits in a alley? no, by God!
she's gettin' half a doller extra. She says, 'How many one-legged women you slept with? None! she says." page 245. This
is a selection from a speech that the main character Tom Joad gives, he is preaching to a character that has a very bad attitude
towards life and does not love his fellow man. Tom preaches that you must enjoy your life, however you can. Whether you have
one leg or one eye, you can still love your fellow man.
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