Group+Discussion

During the beginning of the Great Depression poverty and despair flooded towns and rural areas. Many faced repossession and foreclosure which led them to think of other places to live. People began a mass exodus from the Dust Bowl to the "great lands" of California, which they thought would be brimming with jobs needing to be filled. **Chapter seven of //The Grapes of Wrath// by John Steinbeck examines the greed and selfishness which exists within the used car industry. This chapter also reveals the ignorance of the travelers who want to escape their problems by moving to a new place. Because everyone is caught up in the depression they are forced to become less human and more like cogs in a machine.**

The chapter begins with a general explanation of the Dust Bowl used car lots and their characteristics. It then moves on to more specific language and examples to further the reader's understanding of the time period. Most of the chapter is stated from the salesman's point of view. Near the end the language returns to a more general account and describes more of the car lot.

The tone throughout chapter seven remains expository and descriptive, only a small amount of emotion is present. However the mood is full of guilt stemming from the salesmen taking advantage of the buyers. The people need cars and will eventually, after some convincing, will pay anything for them. The salesmen observe the buyers and see how much they can pay for a car, they use this knowledge to increase their profits.

Word choice is very simple and straightforward. The buyers talk in short sentences which demonstrates their ignorance. The salesmen use pressuring and intimidating approaches to "force" the sale of a car. "Maybe we better look around. Look around! You come in when we're busy, an' take up our time an then walk out!" (Pg. 64) The author appeals to the reader's sense of vision when descriptions of cars are given. Emotional appeals are also spread throughout as the buyers are taken advantage of.

Rhythm is quick, due to the salesmens' aggressive language and contributes to keeping the buyers on their toes. The sentences are short and follow the salesmens' dialogues and their sales approaches. "Cheap transportation, three trailers. '27 Ford, clean. Checked cars, guaranteed cars. Free radio. Car with 100 gallons of gas free. Come in and look. Used Cars. No overhead." (Pg. 61) The use of short sentences emphasize the fast paced sales techniques employed by the salesmen. This technique rushes the ignorant buyers into quick and uneducated decisions. Simple and balanced sentence structure is used throughout and allows flow and consistency.

"I don't know --- Now, look here. I'm givin' you my shirt, an' you took all this time. I might a made three sales while I been talkin' to you. I'm disgusted. Yeah, sign right there. All right, sir." (Pg. 64) This example clearly represents the techniques and language used throughout the chapter. The salesman is rushing the buyer and putting him into a position of guilt. The simple language and words show the uncertainty of the buyer, the salesman uses these keys to exploit the man and make more money.

Steinbeck expresses his opinions of society throughout //The Grapes of Wrath//. In this chapter he uses a large metaphor to show the greed contained within society. The car salesmen can represent anybody who is at least partially educated and the travelers represent uneducated people. Steinbeck's view is that the greed and selfishness in society is created by uneducated people who can easily be taken advantage of.

"Dictionary.com." __Dictionary.com__. 2008. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 23 Mar 2008 <[|http://dictionary.reference.com/>.] "The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck-CHAPTER 7 NOTES." __Pinkmonkey.com__. 23 Mar 2008 <[|http://pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmGrapes22.asp>.] "Thesaurus.com." __Thesaurus.com__. 2008. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 23 Mar 2008 <[|http://thesaurus.reference.com/>.] Steinbeck, John. __The Grapes of Wrath__. Centennial Edition. New York City: Penguin Books Inc., 2002.
 * Works Cited:**

SHagen TMcClanahan