Shadow of a Doubt
By Jillian Sibio, with comment by Aaron Baek
[1] The scene “Doubts†in the Grapes of Wrath film shows the audience the first doubts cast upon the Joad family’s dream of finding a better life in California and serves to broaden the scope of the film’s message: the Joads are only one family in a sea of thousands migrating from middle America following the devastation of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression (0:41:43). At the opening of the scene, the family is settled at the Keystone migrant camp and the men are being entertained around a campfire by Rosasharn’s husband, Connie. The action begins when another migrant overhears Pa talking about the handbills they received about fruit-picking jobs in California, and he tells the men a cautionary tale about hope and loss on the journey to a better future.
[2] There are a few key points in this scene that contribute to the overall significance of the film. First, it paints a picture for the audience of what daily life was like in the workers’ camps and shows their basic living conditions. The men were gathered around the campfire, leisurely listening to Connie play guitar and sing, while they puffed on their cigarettes and talked about what life once was to them. The women of the camp are seen walking around in their families’ tents, most likely cleaning up from dinner or doing other domestic chores. Second, the underlying goal of this scene is to show the harsh reality of the working conditions in California and to expose the unfair system the farms used to attract more workers for lower wages. Author John Steinbeck and ultimately director John Ford utilize the man at the camp as a means to reveal that everything may not get better when the migrants reach California, and in fact they may leave more dejected and defeated than they entered. The unfamiliar man who delivers the disheartening news may also serve as a symbol for the Great Depression: both were entities out of the migrants’ control and completely separated from themselves personally that affected their lives for the worse. Third, the information provided in this scene shows the Joads that the hope they have of starting a new, comfortable life in California may be false. In an instant, the Joads and all the other families at the camp have their dreams dashed to pieces by the man’s story; they are filled with doubt about their purpose for the first time in the film.
[3] Throughout this scene, it is equally important to focus on the way Ford expresses moods and emotions through different filming strategies as it is to pay attention to the character interaction and dialogue. (see comment by Aaron Baek) The feelings the audience gets from this particular section of the film cycle through many different levels: hope, grief, longing, anxiety, and ultimately a return back to a new, more cautious optimism. At the opening of the scene, the mood is relaxed and faintly sad, almost tinged with longing for a return to the migrants' old ways of life, or at least an escape from their current conditions. The song Connie sings sets the stage for the action to come as it is very sad and has an almost haunting quality, which is most definitely a product of its slower pace, simple guitar accompaniment, and drawn-out lyrics. It is interesting to note that even in such serious circumstances, people still rely on their basic human instincts to be comforted by each other’s company and soothed by music. In a sudden twist of plot, the strange Okie appears and the mood quickly grows tense. The dread looming in the air around the men is almost tangible as the man tells of how he lost his wife and children searching for work in California. The audience is meant to feel sympathy for this man and pity for the workers who just had a harsh reality thrust upon them.
[4] The way the scene is filmed to convey emotions is vital to the audience’s understanding of the plot and also determines how well the audience can relate to the story’s characters. At the time of director John Ford’s Grapes of Wrath, American film was used mostly for purely escapist entertainment and barely touched upon the social or economic issues plaguing the country at the present moment. Ford employed a different style of documentary realism to make the movie, including this scene, more capable of delivering its serious message (Millichap 28). Joseph R. Millichap says of Ford, “his work is marked by a strained nostalgia for lost promise, rather than of anticipation of a paradise to be regained†(32). This sentiment explains the focus on darkness in the scene and how effectively Ford was able to portray feelings of a loss of hope. For example, when the men are talking around the camp, Pa Joad and another man discuss the lives they left behind, and the audience can hear the longing in their voices and see the sadness in their eyes.
[5] Some distinct filming techniques were used in this scene to help the viewer feel connected to the story at a deeper level. First, there was low lighting to emphasize the darkness of the migrant camp at night and make the location more authentic than could be achieved with the harsh studio lighting of the time period. The light comes instead from the hanging lanterns, the campfire, and the glow of lights from inside a building behind where the men are gathered. The low light source causes shadows to form on nearly all of the faces shown in the scene. This play of light versus dark manifested on the actual workers themselves represents the problem of hope versus doubt presented by the strange man in the camp and his tale of despair. Also, while the man is talking, the camera focuses on specific groups of men in succession so the audience can clearly see the worried expressions on their faces and the concern in their eyes. They are all forced to wonder if they are doing the right thing for themselves and their families. The last few moments in the scene work to give the viewer a sense of retained hope despite the devastating news they just heard: Tom Joad is shown facing away from the other men, gazing off into the distance, while he reassures his family what is true for one man is not true for every man, implying that they may still have a chance at a brighter future.
Comments
This scene not only illustrates strong dialogue and meaningful interactions but also incorporates the absence of dialogue that adds to the significance. While Connie is singing his song, the camera pans across to the different characters and captures each member of the Joad family in different poses. Each pose the Joads strike portrays, without the use of words, the hardships they are experiencing during their migration. The common cliché that states “actions speak louder than words†is exhibited clearly through the use of Ford’s technical skill when dealing with filming strategies. In addition to incorporating the element of silence that Jillian does not mention, we can add to the ideas that she already includes in her essay. Building upon Jillian’s interpretation of moods, there is one segment within the scene that captures my attention. Because Jillian mentions Connie singing, I turned my attention to the song he sings, “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,†and analyzed the lyrics. The first verse we hear is, “Going down the road feeling bad . . . I don’t want to be treated this way.†Powerful lines, like those in the song, reach out not only to other characters but also to the viewer by creating a feeling of an anxious, grim, but hopeful atmosphere that Jillian mentions.
