Remembering the Past, Taking On the Future
By Carol Gergis, with comments by Danielle Albergo and Heather Camperson
[1] Perhaps the most emotionally charged scene in the entire film lies near its beginning. It centers on Ma Joad just before the family departs from their land for the very last time. As Ma sifts through the last of the family’s belongings, her eyes are, as the original screenplay puts it, “soft and thoughtful as each item brings a memory, but not sad.†It is this complexity of emotion that contributes to the film’s overall meaning. Ma’s sense of duty keeps her from shedding a tear, yet she cannot help but feel regret as she leaves her home and all the pleasant memories that accompany it. The battle between what is in the past and what lies ahead is a recurring theme in Ford’s film. The significance of this scene in particular is that it portrays this struggle through the eyes of the character that is defined by strength and stability.
[2] Independent of the film’s context, this scene still holds much of its importance. Since it has no dialogue, it relies upon Ma’s facial expressions as she sorts through the box of trinkets. However, this is more than enough to get Ford’s point across to the audience, who is then expected to react with sympathy and sadness. The approach Ford takes in getting this reaction is not the same as the one Steinbeck takes in the corresponding section of the novel found in the ninth chapter. Ford chooses to show Ma Joad’s broad emotional range rather than the one-dimensional experience Steinbeck portrays. In the film, Ma’s reactions to different objects vary, ranging from a smile and a chuckle, to a look of loss and longing for better times. In the novel, Steinbeck only writes of the loss and hopelessness of the Joad family’s predicament. The scene in the film harbors more complexity, which makes it more of a realistic human experience in comparison with the novel. It is this raw, convincingly realistic portrayal that tugs at the audience’s heartstrings.
[3] Ford’s interpretation of the scene is communicated by the camera placement and lighting, because of the lack of dialogue. The camera zooms straight in on Ma Joad’s face at the times when her eyes do the speaking. This is the time when it is easy to see the shifts in emotion as she reacts to different items in the shoebox. It is also significant to note which objects evoke which emotion, because the camera zooms in on each item for a long enough period of time for the audience to take in what it is and what it may represent to the family. The alternating shots of Ma and the items she is holding represent the straight forward, cause-and-effect type of situation she is in with her family. They also imitate the raw reality of their predicament in that there is nothing to do except to deal with it. However, the expressions she has on her face in the time when the camera is on her illustrate her reaction to what she must do to deal with the situation. Her expressions show not only her hesitancy to move on from the happy memories of home but also her relief to move on from the ugly memories. She reluctantly burns the postcard from a friend in New York City, but she gladly burns the article detailing Tom’s indictment.
[4] Ma Joad’s face, as it is closest to the camera, is lit, and the rest of the shot is in shadows. This helps to emphasize the metaphorical darkness that surrounds her, and the raw, inescapable emotion she endures though she tries so hard to hide it throughout the movie. Ma is the one character who is known never to break down and let her emotions get the best of her. Even as Grandma dies, Ma handles it with uncanny callus. Thus, this scene is surprising in the whole context of the film, since its focus is on Ma’s emotional reaction to the family’s coming migration. It is significant that the scene takes place in the dark cabin with Ma sitting alone before the small fire, which is the only source of light in the setting. The fire dims by the end of the scene, but it stays lit with the help of the items Ma chooses to burn. This is symbolic in that letting go of certain things is the only way to keep one’s hope alive in what seems like an otherwise hopeless situation. (see comment by Danielle Albergo)
[5] At the very end of the scene, Ford opts to include some dialogue, though the audience only hears someone calling to Ma rather than seeing who is calling her. This represents Ma’s call to perform her duty as the family’s rock. Regardless of who is actually speaking to her, the question of whether she is ready to leave yet is an internal one. She answers positively, but her eyes remain on the fire as the camera zooms out and presents a profile view of the shot. Thus, the focus has been removed from her reaction and has been placed onto her duty to her family and her willingness to perform it unwaveringly. Yet, it is not difficult to tell that she is not actually mentally prepared to leave her home, as she continues to stare at the light of the flame.
[6] Ma also shows her longing for the past in the instant in which she holds the old earrings from the box up to her face and looks at her reflection. Just before she peers at the mirror, she checks to see that no one is coming. This glance tells the audience just how hard Ma has worked to become the Joad family’s source of stability. She cannot let go of this role, because of what it would do to the family as well as herself. It is perhaps the only constant thing in her life at this point. Another key factor in this instance of the scene is that the camera zooms in on Ma Joad’s reflection rather than her actual face as she holds the earrings to it. This is a subtle way of placing the audience completely within Ma’s point of view and emphasizing the growing distance between the migrants’ old identities based entirely upon their land, and their new identities without it. Within the historical context, it can also be guessed that Ford meant this instance to foreshadow how the Okies would be seen as they migrated to California. They were to go from comfortable lives on their familiar land to a whole new world in which they are looked down upon and walked all over. (see comment by Heather Camperson)
[7] Comparing the novel to the film can reveal quite a lot about the altered message Ford wishes to convey. Steinbeck writes of the impossibility of a fresh start in California, saying that “only a baby can start.†He emphasizes that the land defines the Okies, as do the “flood years and the dust years and the drought years.†He also uses more desperate imagery, saying that “when shoes and clothes and food, when even hope is gone, we’ll have the rifle.†He writes of the Okies selling all they own, which represents them placing their lives in the hands of those above them. It is also these items, Steinbeck implies, that define them. He writes the questions, “How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?†The answer, according to Steinbeck, is, “No. Leave it. Burn it.â€
[8] The film, on the other hand, has the Joads looking a bit more hopeful and relaxed. The fire in the scene represents the hope of a fresh start in California. Although it is small and dim, it remains throughout the entire scene. (see comment by Heather Camperson) The film also shows that there is more to the Joad family than just their land. The items Ma sorts through include a souvenir from the Louisiana Purchase, a postcard from a friend in New York City, an article about Tom’s imprisonment, and old earrings. These items represent different aspects of the Joads’ lives, including their land, their friends and neighbors, and their past personal lives. When compared with the novel, these items are more neutral and create a more personal dimension to the Joads. Steinbeck only writes of food and clothing and rifles. The final comparison involves the fact that Ma is deciding whether to burn the belongings or to keep them. This decision, regardless of which she chooses, shows that she is keeping the fate of the Joads in her own hands rather than selling the items and placing their fate in the hands of others.
[9] This scene shows the complexity of not only Ma, as a character but of the predicament in which the Joad family, and other Okies, have been placed. There is more to the experience of leaving home forever than Steinbeck writes of. Ford has captured all of these emotions within a short scene with minimal dialogue. The way he has designed the shadows and the lighting, as well as the camera placement for every shot, makes it hard to ignore the sympathetic feelings that arise as one watches Ma Joad in her emotional struggle. The realistic approach Ford takes, as opposed to Steinbeck’s one-sided description, also helps the audience relate to her. On the whole, the significance of the scene is found in this multi-dimensional portrayal of the experience of the Okies as they leave the land they’ve always called their own.
Comments
I entirely agree with Carol’s statement that letting go of certain things can keep one’s hope alive, especially when relating to Ma Joad. Ma Joad burns certain items of her past in order to symbolically create space for her and her family’s new life in California. She holds on to some items, or memories, from the past; however, she understands she must let go of other objects as a gesture to attain new, hopeful memories. This is not the only instance in which Ma Joad must let go of something valuable to keep hope alive. When her son, Tom Joad, is sent to prison for homicide, Ma must be able to bear living without him. Despite the devastation of losing a son, Ma continues raising her family to the best of her ability. By accepting the fact that her son was temporarily sent to prison, Ma was able to keep faith in his hopefully speedy return. If she had denied accepting the loss of her son, she may have lacked hope that he would be released earlier.
I agree here with Carol in that the fire does in fact represent the hope of a fresh start in California. I think she can enhance or expand upon her statement by adding more depth in how the fire symbolizes hope. Some people may argue that fire only brings chaos and ruin, but fire can be more valuable than destructive. According to Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to give to mankind in order to drive out darkness and cleanse the humans. This idea can be connected to Ma Joad in that she is cleansing her soul of everything that she used to know, making room for new experiences. Fire is also associated with being the internal flame of love. Just as the fire burns on, Ma’s love for her family will never die, and no matter what she may face, there will always be a fire within her to expel any darkness.
The most poignant “shot†of the scene is when Ma holds up the earrings to her face and looks into the mirror. This one “shot†depicts the heartache of leaving the past behind and the fear of not knowing what to expect in the future. The simple use of earrings symbolizes a time when life was happier and a time in Ma’s life that she does not want to leave behind. There is no dialogue in this “shot,†but her emotions are clearly portrayed on her face and evoke a sense of sadness in the audience, since it is easy but incredibly sad to imagine what it would be like leaving all that you own and everything that you have ever known. This one scene, in particular one “shot,†I would argue is one of the most significant scenes in the film. It truly epitomizes the historic movement out west and the terror that many people faced in leaving home.
