Ed. Peter Lisca and Kevin Hearle. New York, NY: Penguin, 1997. 604-615.

Outline

Thesis:

The three critical appraisals this essay will examine shows a changing "magnification." Each of our three critics has the "Okies" under the microscopic; but they employ three different lenses to examine their subjects. As we move from Reed to Owens to Gladstein, the calibration of the microscope moves steadily away. The movement starts with a narrow aperture, and "zooms out" to encompass a universal perspective: the "Okies" however, remain solidly in the center of our lens' field of vision.

Points

John R. Reed, in his article "The Grapes of Wrath and the Esthetics of Indigence" close scrutiny of life & language of the migrants.

A reveals their dignity focus firmly on them, no need for archetypal / biblical interpretation

Louis Owens, in his article "The American Joads," widens the lens of perspective symbolic of the entire...
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