We know of terms like 'mother country', 'motherland' (we met this one in Achebe's Things Fall Apart when Okonkwo and his family went into exile there, and the narrator and Uchendu tell us why that was significant), 'mother tongue', and 'mother language', for example. All these terms are metaphorical.
In The Grapes of Wrath we read of the 'mother road'. Why do you think Steinbeck uses that phrase in this novel?
The great roads were to be built. Roads to carry a nation on the move, through hard times, war, and rebirth. Route 66 would become the most celebrated and famous of these two-lanes. Route 66 was about to become the "Main Street of America."
ReplyDeleteRoute 66 has held a special place in the American consciousness from its beginning. The road is uniquely American. There are a thousand stories of hope, heartbreak, love, hate, starting over, and new dreams found along the next bend of the highway the Americans commonly refer to as the "Mother Road".
The story of Route 66 is the US history; it embodies what makes the US a great nation. No other culture has had the same type of love affair with the automobile, and few have had the wide-open spaces offered by the American West.
John Steinbeck called it the Mother Road, and indeed it was. It provided hope to the farmers of the dust bowl era going west to find a new life. It served the US country well during time of war. In optimistic post W.W.II America, Route 66 defined a generation looking for adventure and freedom on the open road. To understand the history of Route 66 is to understand a little bit about the American history, where they came from and where they hope to go in the future.
I haven't gotten that far in the novel where the "Mother road" term is used, however, judging from the pre-reading about the novel, the Mother road is used to refer to Route 66, the highway that runs between Chicago to Los Angeles. Judging from it's geographical location and history, Route 66 may have been referred to as the "Mother Road" since back in the 20th century this road was used by most automobile travelers, it was a very important road for commuting, when one considers the term "Mother" one draws on the metaphorical comparison of "necessity", therefore this term may be metaphorical of how necessary Route 66 was especially back in those days, and I may infer that this is the road the Joad's family used throughout the novel to make their journey.
ReplyDeleteShenel brings up a good meaning to the word 'mother' as 'necessity'.The road is a main road which people used to migrate to California and to which the farmers saw as a life line and maybe as an escape route out of the dust bowl which they lived in.This major road from Chicago to Los Angeles saw many travellers and since the motor vehicle had just gained popularity their owners had something to travel on.In the novel it was a means to get out and for some get in. The road was situated where to was to integrate the small towns and give them access to more of their country instead of being segregated in some ways.The "Mother road" plays a significant part in this novel as it represents and is the road upon which the major journey happens upon.
ReplyDeleteThe mother road gives the impression that the route was vital, a life-line of sorts to connect people from LA to Chicago. In those days there was no other way to commute between these states.
ReplyDeleteIlike this definition of 'Mother road'. The metaphorical use of the term mother here refers to the bringer of life and sustainance. Route 66's representation here as a road travelled by may in search of a better life or a new beginning compares to the way a mother faciltates a child's development and then allows them to go out into the world and thrive.
DeleteHaving the same concept as all other meaniings for 'mother' , we can see the metaphorical connection to the path or thhe road being essential and like the rest of my colleuges, it does bear reference to Route 66 and indeed it is the it meant for the farmers, a life or escape from their old way of life and the genesis of betterment , hope, fruitfulness. In essence something that 'mother' is associated with.
ReplyDeleteI agree Marilyse.
DeleteI agree with my collegues. The "Mother Road" is metaphorical to the provision given by a mother. The author uses this phrase to emphasize to the reader the impotance of this path and the level of dependence the migrants would seek from it. He places a virtual "navel string" along which the migrants travel and seek water, food, parts and a new beginning.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of "mother road" I think of a child returning to his/her mother's home.For an Adult to return home its often a struggle, they have to once again adapt to living with their parents rule, however a mother encourages her returning child to be strong amid travail and as such the child experiences personal growth. Similar to the families in Grapes of Wrath on route 66,while on this route they are challenged to adapt to new ways of living and as they endure they experience personal growth.
ReplyDeleteThis is also a great way of looking at it and who more than a mother to support you through life's hardships.
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ReplyDeleteThe "Mother Road" in The Grapes of Wrath, signified a massive change to come in America. It meant for those people who migrated to the land of opportunity a means of amelioration of life. The farmers and laypeople took it to mean a worldwide connection that would enhance their communities. For the normal American, it was an adventurous time trying to experience the new freedom and all the things that came with it. When one thinks of the word "mother", the meanings associated with it are things such as new life, sustenance, nurturing and what this mother road shows is just that. It is a means of new life and positive development.
The mother road aka the road that shaped America is metaphorically used to represent the historical implication of Route 66. If we look at the role of a "Mother" we see her role as a guide and a caregiver to her children, this is what route 66 provided for american's.For those who migrated to the land of opportunity in California during the Dust Bowl era it meant a path to a new life a sort of rebirth.Route 66 is more than just a long strip of pavement,it is a state of mind and Steinbeck's uses this phrase to showcase his mind frame on american's new freedom especially through the use of automobiles.
ReplyDeleteJohn Steinbeck uses the phrase “mother road” in his novel “The Grapes of Wrath” by giving us the answer himself. Chapter 12 states, “Highway 66 is the main migrant road. 66 - the long concrete path across the country, waving gently up and down on the map, from the Mississippi to Bakersfield - over the red lands and the gray lands, twisting up into the mountains, crossing the Divide and down into the bright and terrible desert, and across the desert to the mountains again, and into the rich California valleys. 66 is the path of a people in flight, refugees from dust and shrinking ownership, from the desert's slow northward invasion, from the twisting winds that howl up out of Texas, from the floods that bring no richness to the land and steal what little richness is there. From all of these the people are in flight, and they come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads. 66 is the mother road, the road of flight.” Route 66 also known as the “mother road” was seen as a way out for people living in states such as Illinois to Wisconsin in order for them to get a better life somewhere else. The “mother road” in “The Grapes of Wrath” is more concerned with the movement and migration of people from the states mentioned. This migration occurred during the Great Depression in the 20th century and after World War II when many military workers returned home and started a new life in California.
ReplyDeleteI think Steinbeck uses "Mother Road" in the novel as he referred to route 66, because it signifies the struggle and movement of people and followers from the poor nature and dirt of the Dust Bowl to a better standard of living in California. Route 66 is extremely important in this novel as it highlights the Great Depression and migration of the people.
ReplyDeleteThe Mother Road in Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath represented a force of major change in America. For those who migrated to the land of opportunity in California during the Dust Bowl era it meant a path to a new life. To the farmers and townspeople along its meandering course, it meant a lifeline connection to the rest of the world that would have a profound impact on their communities. And for the average American family experiencing the new freedom which the automobile provided, it was an exciting adventure awaiting them on vacation road trips that seemed wild and invigorating.
ReplyDeleteth 'mother road' represents the highway on which the journey takes place and connects many different states, it is the most popular and was erected in 1926. route 66 is the setting of this book as the plot takes place along this road. i think the phrase 'mother road' is used because of its greatness and magnificent length as it joins all the states.
ReplyDeleteMothers have always been seen to be representations of family, hope, new life and new beginnings. By referring to this road as the 'Mother Road' Steinbeck indicates to us that this is a road which takes an exodus of people on a journey in search of some place that can offer them a fresh chance at life. The 'Mother Road' is a metaphorical symbol of hope for families in that time period who had lost everything they had and were searching for something better. It is also a symbol of strength, unity in family, and determination that can be found in humanity in times of struggle and strife.
ReplyDeleteSteinbeck simply used the metaphor "mother road" referring to Route 66 to suggest that it was the main routhe by which the characters would gain new life. The mother in a family is in most cases the is the parent that the dependents (children) need guidance from etc as she was also the one who was responsible for giving life to individuals. Therefore Steinbeck used the metaphor to show that the characters in the novel were heavily dependent on the use of this road to gain new life. The road would then be responsible for the rebirth in California.
ReplyDeleteSteinbeck uses the term 'Mother road' suggesting that this was the road that was supposed to bring them comfort and fulfil all of their needs similar to the way in which a mother does. Another probable reason why he may have referred to Route 66 as the "mother road" is because it 'bore' many people from Oklahoma and all of those other places where people were forced to leave their homes in search of better lives elsewhere hence the journey is likened to that of the gestation period of a mother waiting to bear her child and when they (the families) reach their destination, it is like their birth and just like a child that has now left their comfort zone and is now in a new or foreign place, these people are in a new foreign place where they must learn to adapt to the surroundings and begin anew.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that they had to stay on that road to get to where they were going to the proverbial “promise land” shows Steinbecks use of a metaphor is a great metaphor by Steinbeck this probably goes along with the importance given to ma’s character, in the novel regardless of what was done or had to be done, ma was needed. In an era of male dominance, it is good that he used this expression, which shows along the way there will probably be some measure of tenderness, not all hardship, and maybe also the importance of taking a mother’s advice.
ReplyDeleteJohn Steinbeck uses the term "mother road" to reveal that the journey the family embarks on shapes their identity and makes it clearer to they themselves. The terms which include mother are permutations of identity. For example, the term 'mother tongue' is the language that an individual learnt and acquired as a child, this reveals identity as it can disclose the country of origin of a person (in most cases).
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