One of the most prolific portrayals of the “little people” in society to me would be John Steinbeck’s turtle depicted in “The Grapes of Wrath”. The humble land turtle (Steinbeck 160), while being such an insignificant creature, stands for something much greater and is a symbol for common man and his place in society. The slow, drudging pace with which he plods on gives the reader a view of the determination and refusal to turn aside possessed by the farmers and the working class Americans of the 1930’s, and brings a vivid picture of the changing times that eluded these humble peons. This “change” that was falling so harshly on the time gave little rest to the dusty beaten people trapped in “honest day’s wage” class that broke their backs for pennies and suffered poor conditions in the means of just making enough to feed their families. For these turtles of society there were no options or choices, there was only one path and no matter how hot the road was or how hard the upper class tried to squash them while crossing the destination was still as clear as the sun shining in the sky, failure to succeed meant failure to survive.
Although set in the past during times of depression and dust, Steinbeck’s writing still rings true and can be applied to the proletariat; the simple man driving on day after day and struggling to feed and shelter those depending on him. While the form has changed the ultimate theory remains the same and the little people are still today fighting to keep up with the worthy foe named change that beckons one to board or be knocked down and dragged through the dirt and dust. When Steinbeck writes, “And now a light truck approached, and as it came near, the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it.”, (Steinbeck 161) it gives the audience an idea of the magnitude and force being thrown in the direction of the average man, and defines the main struggle in modern survival. The primal Darwinist theory that the strongest will survive still reigns true to this very day but as always change is cruel and the physical strength that made one superior in the past has given way to intellectual strength, and those that are physically strong have been recycled by society and are now trampled underfoot or run over by the intellectual giants who have taken the podium. The constant turnover that builds empires and revered figures is the same that will eventually overthrow the very beings it aided in creating, and the systems and processes it raised will become memories of yesterday and will transform, like in a stage magic show, the figures that stood so proud and tall into the mere belly crawling, slow swaggering land turtles wandering across roads and having attempts made on their lives by those in the position they once held.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1939. Book.
http://www.zazzle.com/turtle_crossing_poster-228338443534825938
http://www.lomasdesign.com/thebrotherslomas/?p=563
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2009/09/23/richard-hawley%E2%80%99s-notes-from-sheffield-john-steinbeck/
