NicoletteStarke

OConnor
HonorsEnglish9
25January2015

OutsideReadingProject:PassagesfromJohnSteinbecks
TortillaFlat

Passage1

Whenoneispoor,onethinks,IfIhadmoneyIwouldshareitwithmygoodfriends.Butlet
thatmoneycomeandcharityfliesaway.Soitiswiththee,myoncefriend.Thouartliftedabove
thyfriends.Thouwiltforgetthyfriendswhosharedeverythingwiththee,eventheirbrandy.
(Steinbeck11)

Comment

ThispassageissaidbyPilondirectedtowardsDanny.Inthispassage,Steinbeckisusing
dialoguetoportrayhowPilonisdistrustinganduneasyaboutDannyandhowhethinkthat
DannyismakingpromisestoalwayssupporthimwhichDannydoesntintendtokeep.Pilon
speaksinarhetoricaltone,honestlyspeakinghismind.Youcantellthisbyhowblatantis
attitudeandtoneis.TheveryoldfashioneddictionthatSteinbeckgivesallofthecharacters
makesthetimeframeinwhichthisbookisbasedveryclear.Usingwordsliketheeandthou
makethecharactersappearverycordialandrespectablewheninrealitytheyaretwopoormen
wholiveonthestreets.Thispassagedoesnotgivetoomuchinciteintothesettingofthestory
otherthanthetimeframeinwhichitwasbasedbutyoucantellthenegativestateofmindthat
Pilonhaswhichleadsyoutobelievethatheisnotthemostfinanciallystableorhappy.

Passage2

ThesebirdsareflyingacrosstheforeheadoftheFather.Dearbirds,dearseagulls,howIlove
youall.Yourslowwingsstrokemyheartasthehandofagentlemasterstrokesthefullstomach
ofasleepingdog,asthehandofChriststrokedtheheadsoflittlechildren.Dearbirds,he
thought,flytoourLadyofSweetSorrowswithmyopenheart.(Steinbeck21)

Comment

ThispassagewasalsosaidbyPilonbutmoretohimselfthananyone.Whilesayingthisheis
havingaselfconflictonwhetherheshouldbringthewinethatheboughtforDannytohimor
drinkithimselflikehesodesired.ThiswasthegoodsideofPilonspeaking.Hewasrealizingall
oftheblessingsofhislifeandhowhehadbeenmisleadbeforebutwantedtogodownthebetter
path.Thisformofwritingisconsiderednarrativebutinthissectionitissimilartopersuasive
becausePilonisbalancinghimselfonthenarrowlineofgoodandbadandheisreallydrawnto
bothsides.Thesimile,Yourslowwingsstrokemyheartasthehandofagentlemasterstrokes
thefullstomachofasleepingdog,asthehandofChriststrokedtheheadsoflittlechildren.

(Steinbeck21)issayingthatheistouchedbytheanglesinbeingguidedandfeelingrewarded
headingdownapathtoabetterfuturejustlikeadogfeelingappreciatedbytheirmaster.This
contributestothetoneofthescenariointrulyshowinghowpassionatePilonfeelsabouthis
newlyfoundspirituality.

Passage3

Thecandleaimeditsspearoflightatheaven,likeanartistwhoconsumeshimselftobecome
divine.Thecandlegrewshorterandshorter.Awindsprangupoutsideandsiftedthroughthe
cracksinthewall.Thecandlesaggedsideways.Asilkencalendar,bearingthefaceofalovely
girllookingoutoftheheartofanAmericanBeautyrose,floatedoutalittledistancefromthe
wall.Itcameintothespearofflame.Aloosepieceofwallpapercaughtfireandfellflaminginto
abundleofnewspapers.(Steinbeck47)

Comment

Thispassageisusinganimmenseamountofimageryindescribinghowthefirethattookplace
inPilonandPabloshousebegan.Theburningcandlethatthetwomenhadleftburningwhile
theywenttosleepappearedtobeharmlessinitsdescriptionbutitcausedsomuchdamageto
theirlives.ThewaySteinbeckdescribethewindblowinginthroughthecracksoftheirhouse
andthecandlesettingfiretothecalendarwiththegirlonitgivesyouafullmentalimageofhow
thesituationoccurredsoitmakesiteasyforthereadertoputthemselvesintheroomwiththe
burningcandle.Thesyntaxofthispassagereallymakesallofthedifferenceindescribingthe
event.Hedidwhatmostwritersneglecttodowhichitstartfromthebeginningofthesceneand
fullydescribedwhathappenedastojustsayingthatthehouseburneddownfromacandleleft
burning.Thechronologyofthispassagewasperfectlysettoaddnotonlyasmallamountof
suspensebutalotofinterestinwhatwasgoingtocomefromthelethalcandle.

Passage4

Itisastoundingtofindthatthebellyofeveryblackandevilthingisaswhiteassnow.Anditis
saddeningtodiscoverhowtheconcealedpartsofangelsareleprous.HonorandpeacetoPilon,
forhehaddiscoveredhowtouncoverandtodisclosetothewordthegoodthatlayineveryevil
thing.Norwasheblind,assomanysaintsare,totheevilofgoodthings.Itmustbeadmitted
withsadnessthatPilonhadneitherthestupidity,theselfrighteousness,northegreedinessfor
rewardevertobecomeasaint.(Steinbeck6162)

Comment

Inthispassage,Steinbeckusesthephrase,...thebellyofeveryblackandevilthingisaswhite
assnow.tosaythatsomepeopleappeartobeextremelyinnocentbuthavebadintentionsand
willtakeadvantageoftheweakerorlessintelligent.Inthispassage,Pilonisthinkingveryhighly
ofhimselfbecausehefeelsasthoughheisdoingaveryselflessdeedbyhelpingthepiratespend
themoneythathehasearnedwiselybutyoucantellthatsubconsciously,Pilonknowsthathe
willbenefitfromhelpingthisman.YoucantellthatPilonhasgoodintentionsbutitprobably

wontturnoutverywellforthepirateinthelongrunbythetoneandnegligenceofPilontotell
Pabloofhisplan.Thisaddsalotofsuspenseanddepthinthewritingmakingthereaderuneasy
abouttheeventsthataresoontotakeplace.

Passage5

Thesunwheeledoverthesky.Thetidespreadupthebeachandthenretreated.Asquadof
scamperingkildeersinspectedthesleepingmen.Awanderingdogsniffedthem.Twoelderly
ladies,collectingseashells,sawthebodiesandhurriedpastlestthesemenshouldawakenin
passion,pursueandcriminallyassaultthem.Itwasashame,theyagreed,thatthepolicedid
nothingtocontrolsuchmatters.(Steinbeck91)
Comment

ThispassageusedaverydescriptivejargonwhendescribingthesettinginwhichJoeandPilon
werelayng.Henotonlydescribedtheirlocationbutthehappeningsoccurringaroundthemasthe
timepassedandtheyremainedinadeepsleepfromtheirpastnightofdrinking.Hemildly
characterizedthethingsthatpassedbyJoeandPilonwhichmadethispassageverywellrounded
whenitcametocontainingliteraryelements.Thewomenthatpassedbyhadavery
judgementalytonewhichgavethereaderatrueideaofhowdispleasinganduntrustworthythe
twomenreallylookedpassedoutonthebeach.Theimageryinthisscenereallycontributedto
thesetting.Describingtheretreatingwavesandthepeoplepassingthroughmadeiteasytogage
whereandatwhattimethesemenwereasleeplikethis.