A Forlorn Flashback
By Kelsey Lee, with comments by Michael Ronan, Mercy Du, and Jillian Sloand
[1] Muley’s flashback sequence is one of the most powerful and riveting scenes in The Grapes of Wrath. The cinematographic techniques employed masterfully enhance the message and function of the scene and leave a lasting impression in the minds of viewers.
[2] This scene serves as a bridge connecting the past to the present, as Tom Joad and viewers are informed of what happened while Tom was in jail. Furthermore, this scene is one of the first instances of suffering in the film and sets the stage for the suffering to follow. This scene plays a critical role in terms of the film as a whole as it is the first taste of the long and hard road that lies ahead for the Joad family.
[3] The scene begins as Muley recounts the story of the Joad family’s loss of land to Casey and Tom in the dark, abandoned cabin. The surroundings are nearly pitch-black, and only half of Muley’s face is lit by the flickering candlelight. The distinct contrast between the darkness of the night and Muley’s half-lit face exude an eerie, ghostly mood, which is immediately followed by a flashback taking place in the bright of day. In a matter of seconds, tractors rolling in the blazing sun replace the dark, haunting image of night. And yet this contrast between light and dark seems so contradictory. We typically associate light with good and dark with evil, but in this scene what is being portrayed in light is the root of immense pain and suffering.
[4] This light and dark contraposition can be seen throughout the film, and, since the film is shot in black and white, the cinematographic techniques that convey this contrast must be especially calculated and technical. Vivian C. Sobchack addresses the presence of light and dark imagery in the film:
It is nearly impossible not to notice that the film is dark. . . . The dramatic weight of the film falls on the dark side, for if one compares those scenes which occur in varying degrees of darkness with those which take place in relatively bright light it becomes obvious that the former are more important to the narrative and more intense in their emotional content than the latter. (see comment by Michael Ronan)
Sobchack also speaks specifically to the Muley flashback scene as she identifies it as a key scene that utilizes the light and dark contrast: “The long and highly dramatic scene in the deserted Joad cabin is shot in candlelight as Casey and Tom are joined by Muley who relates in the dark present and in the punctuating brightness of a flashback what has occurred to the farmers and their land.†Further, Sobchack identifies one of the cinematographic techniques employed in this scene: “The camera’s emphasis is on faces, faces which become not quite real in the semi-darkness, faces which are isolated in cinematographer Gregg Toland’s ‘web of shadows and night’ visually reinforcing, for instance, ‘Muley’s belief that he is just “an ol’ graveyard ghosâ€.’ It is these details -- the emphasis on faces, the dramatic presence of darkness, the contradictory images of light during moments of suffering -- that enable this one scene to strike a chord that stirs the soul.
[5] The dialogue effectively complements the visual aspects of this scene since it reinforces the ideas of suffering, loss, and struggle. Muley tells Casey and Tom, “And for every one of ‘em there was 10, 15 families throwed right out of their homes. A hundred folks and no place to live but on the road. The Rances, the Petersens, the Perrys, the Joads. One right after the other they got throwed out. Half the folks you and me know throwed right out into the road.†As he is speaking, Muley’s voice begins to quiver, and it becomes evident that he is fighting back his emotions. Muley’s tone and emotion make his words even more powerful, and an appeal to pathos is certainly achieved.
[6] Details such as structure and visual techniques also contribute to the scene’s effectiveness. When the Caterpillar tractors come rolling in, the camera is shooting from beneath the tractors at ground level. And as they roll closer and closer to the camera, the emphasis is placed on the wheels of this big iron machine as they run over and crush everything in its path. Only the unpleasant rumble of the tractors’ engines accompanies this visual. This effect gives viewers the feeling that the tractors are rolling over you, which instills feelings of fear and inferiority in our minds. This is followed by the image of a tractor driver with a mask covering his face, giving him a very creepy, almost inhuman quality. (see comment by Jillian Sloand)
[7] The scene ends as the camera focuses on the ground, capturing the image of Muley and his family’s shadows in the trail of the caterpillar tractor tracks. (see comment by Michael Ronan) This image lingers on the screen for several seconds accompanied only by the diminishing rumble of the tractor engine. This visual of the shadows falling on the trail of destruction left by the machine that tore down the Graves family’s home is simplistic and yet enthralling -- thus creating the ideal dynamic to conclude a paramount scene. (see comment by Jillian Sloand)
[8] The film very accurately portrays these details based on Steinbeck’s description in the novel. The text reads: “The tractors came over the road and into the fields, great crawlers moving like insects, having the incredible strength of insects . . . snub-nosed monsters, raising the dust and sticking their snouts in it, straight down the country, across the country, through fences, through dooryards, in and out of gullies in straight lines.†And further: “The man sitting in the iron seat did not look like a man; gloved, goggled, rubber dust mask over the nose and mouth, he was a part of the monster, a robot in the seat. The thunder of cylinders sounded through the country, became one with the air and the earth, so that earth and air muttered in sympathetic vibration.†Given Steinbeck’s writing as a foundation, John Ford and the others involved in creating the film did an exceptional job transforming this text into footage that is just as captivating and memorable as the original text.
[9] In addition to being both artistically expressive and emotionally powerful, this scene is also very historically significant. Land ownership plays a major role in our nation’s history as land is cherished and sought after to build a home, family, and life upon. Land has been passed down for generations in some families, as is the case for the Joads. And to a low-income farming family, their land is essentially all that they have. This scene portrays the loss of land and the loss of dignity that follows as the Graves helplessly watch their home being run over by a Caterpillar tractor. It is hard to fathom how it would feel to lose your home in the blink of an eye, and this scene captures the resulting devastation and shock. As a viewer, it is almost impossible to deny the emotion and sympathy that this scene evokes.
[10] The ideas presented in this scene also apply to our nation’s current economic condition [2010]. Like the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, our economic recession has had devastating effects on low-income families and has resulted in the loss of property and the need to migrate in search of jobs and opportunities. It is amazing to think that a 1940 film based on a 1939 book remains so applicable to the present day. (see comment by Mercy Du) While the times have certainly changed and the situations differ, the suffering and hardship inflicted remain the same.
Comments
I have to disagree with the idea that the meanings of light and darkness are intentionally redefined within Grapes and that scenes occurring in darkness are “more important to the narrative and more intense in their emotional content.†The contrast between light and dark within the film is certainly more apparent because the film is shot in black and white, but I think the application of light and dark is still plainly practical. Scenes that occur in light such as the coming of the tractor and scenes that occur in dark such as the discussion of the many evictions while Tom was away occur when they do because of their nature. Obviously, a tractor can’t plow through a house at night, and trespassing is not a good thing to do in daylight. Some of the most important scenes do occur during dark, but also some of the most important scenes occur during the day. The tractor flashback and the Joad family’s arrival in California both occur during the day. The brightness of these scenes is ironic, because they are some of the most painful in the movie. I find that the most intense scenes, emotionally, occur in the light; lives and dreams are shattered when it is easiest to witness.
The mask that covers the tractor driver’s face that Lee notes gives the driver an “inhuman quality†has significant parallels to the real-world situation being conveyed in this scene. First, the inhumanity of the mask of the driver relates to the atrocity of the act he is about to commit -- tearing down the Graves family’s home. Furthermore, this compares to the inhumanity of the scene as a whole, as the “cats†(with the inhuman quality) strip the Graves family of their humanity. As their land is being stolen from them, Muley in particular shrivels to a less-than-human body as he desperately tries to hold onto his land and identity, running his fingers through the dirt on which his family grew up.
Also through the masked tractor driver can the audience recognize the rooted problem in the migration situation that occurs in the real-world reference of this scene. The driver is masked and not given an identity on purpose, because the identity of the body that is actually taking away the land from the farmers is unknown in the real world. (In the film, they say a company forces the workers to take away the farmers’ lands, but they do not know any details about this ambiguous company.) It is unknown who to blame for the migration problems that arose in the 1930s. It is not the fault of the farmers for responding to the fliers posted for work when their land was taken from them back home. Yet it is also not the fault of the landowners in the west for posting the fliers asking for work, as they intended to progress California’s economy with the growth of agribusiness. Thus, as the cause of the migration problem is unknown (and almost inhuman itself), so is the driver who represents the progression of the problem. In addition, the inhumanity of the driver and the circumstances of this scene almost condone the migration situation itself. Humans have the power to change unfavorable conditions, but giving the driver an inhuman quality makes the process almost natural; and as the situation is inevitable, the identity of the cause and blame is unknown, and almost nonexistent, as well.
It is striking to see how similar the Dust Bowl is to modern-day America. People today are constantly losing their jobs and are driven out of their homes with their families because they can’t afford to live there. They are forced to migrate to different places and are willing to accept low-paid jobs that will barely feed their families. One thing in particular that I found ironic was that today the state of California is being targeted by the Recession. It is economically unstable, and the state cannot afford many state schools, there are significant budget cuts, increased taxes, and many people are losing their jobs. Residents are driven out of California because of their fluctuating financial system. Although the Dust Bowl is still similar to what is occurring in our nation today, the tables have turned to where California is the one that is being affected. The land that was infamously known as “The Golden State†has caused people to migrate to anywhere but West.
This scene truly represents the essence of the entire movie. The director uses Muley Graves and his family in this snapshot to cast shadows on the dirt upon which a bulldozer has just traveled. The farmers' shadows are especially thin, highlighting the starvation most families suffer from at this time. In particular, their shadows cut through the dirt tracks the bulldozer has left in the dirt. These tracks act as scars the impersonal owners leave on the land as a result of their power and the current desperate state of the country. During this time, farmers identified themselves with their land. It was more than property to them. Their land gave them pride, comfort, and security as they raised their families. Yet now, and especially in this scene, the owners forcefully steal the backbone of these farmers' lives and leave their own scars in the dirt that the farmers' crops used to flourish. The owners steal away the prosperity and leave the farmers astray. The scene as a whole captures the despair that all farmers and their families feel throughout most of the story as their homes vanish. They stand there motionless and hopeless, simply watching their lives crumble. As the movie progresses, these farmers, and in particular, the Joad family, try to overcome this major obstacle by seeking work in California, as they desperately strive to escape the emptiness of this scene.
This single shot captures the hopelessness of the inhabitants of the Oklahoma dust bowls, painting them as shadows of their former selves. They are men and women, faded from withstanding the successive blows of the wealthy and greedy. Though rich men deprive them of life’s necessities, these shadow people march on and try to keep faith.
