摘 要

约翰•斯坦贝克是20世纪30年代美国文坛上最活跃最引人注目的作家之一，同时也是经济大萧条时期最重要的美国作家。他对贫穷，饱受压迫的美国农民充满同情，也被他们坚强不屈敢于斗争的精神所鼓舞。约翰•斯坦贝克对逃荒到加利福尼亚的农民进行采访，跟随俄克拉荷马州的农民一起逃荒到加利福尼亚，耳闻目睹了他们所经历的苦难。通过这些亲身经历，约翰•斯坦贝克写出了自己的宏伟巨作《愤怒的葡萄》。这篇小说的描写了俄克拉荷马州佃农乔德一家的痛苦经历。由于经济大萧条，乔德一家饱受大银行和大企业的压迫，他们不得不背井离乡。全家挤在一辆破卡车上，开始了艰难的旅程。一路上忍受饥饿贫困，家人一个个地离去，本以为到了梦想中的加州后能过上幸福的生活，谁知情况更加糟糕，食不果腹，还受到不公平的待遇。最后在不断的大雨中，他们最后的宿留地也被积水淹没了。小说主人公汤姆的妹妹在大雨中临盆，却产下一名死婴，并用自己的乳汁救了一个奄奄一息的陌生人。小说最后在妹妹神秘的微笑中结束了，并没有指明处于困境的农民最终的结局怎样，这正是小说的妙处，留给读者无限的遐想。同时也深刻地体现了农民阶级的崇高精神以及作者对农民深深的同情。农民阶级是大萧条时期的精神巨人。约翰•斯坦贝克也凭借着自己优秀的作品于1962年获得了诺贝尔文学奖。论文的第一部分介绍了作者，其取得的成就和小说《愤怒的葡萄》的简介。第二部分具体分析了小说中主要人物的性格特征和他们所具有的农民阶级的伟大精神，通过对三个人物的描写与分析体现了农民阶级从小我走向大我的巨大转变。第三部分叙述了小说《愤怒的葡萄》的主题。第四部分对小说进行了总结。通过以上四个部分的分析，讴歌美国经济大萧条时期作为不起眼阶层的农民的顽强精神和崇高的人格魅力。
  
关键词：约翰•斯坦贝克；《愤怒的葡萄》；小我；大我；精神巨人
 
Abstract

John Steinbeck was one of most active and attractive American writers in the 1930s, and at the same time he was the most important American author during the Great Depression. He expressed his compassion to the peasants, and he was inspired by the spirit of peasants’ braveness. John Steinbeck visited the peasants who fled to California and followed them. On the way, he saw their tribulation. Through these experiences he wrote his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath. This novel tells the story of the Joads’ hard experience to California. Due to the Great Depression the Joads are oppressed by big banks and big corporations and have to leave their hometown. The whole family are packed in the broken truck and start their journey. Some family members die during the way. They think they can live a happy life after arriving at the world they dream of -- California, however, they are treated unfairly and always get hungry. In the end, their shelter is flooded by the continual rain. The sister of Tom, the hero of the novel, Rose of Sharon Joad Rivers gives a dead baby and breasts a dying man. The novel ends with the sister’s mystic smile, and the writer does not point out clearly what the end of these peasants is. And it is the excellent point of this novel, which leaves a great room for the readers to think. Meanwhile, this novel expresses the sublime spirit of peasants and writer’s deep sympathy for them. The peasants are the spirit giants of the Great Depression. John Steinbeck won Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 by his great works. The first part of this thesis introduces the author’s literary achievement and the brief introduction to the novel. The second part analyzes the main characters of the novel and their spirit. With this analysis, this thesis shows the great changes of the characters from “I” to “we”. The third part expresses the theme of the novel. The forth part makes a conclusion. Through these four parts, the thesis aims at eulogizing the staunch spirit and grand personalities of the peasants in the Great Depression.

Keywords: John Steinbeck; The Grapes of Wrath; I; we; spirit giants