Sitting together on the stools, spoons sticking up out of the coffee mugs. Passing the time of day. And Al, rubbing down his griddle, listening but making no comment. Bing Crosby's voice stops. The turntable drops down and the record swings into its place in the pile. The purple light goes off. The nickel, which has caused all this mechanism to work, has caused Crosby to sing and an orchestra to play—this nickel drops from between the contact points into the box where the profits go. This nickel, unlike most money, has actually done a job of work, has been physically responsible for a reaction.—John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
'unlike most money'
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Matt - I just read Grapes of Wrath earlier this summer for the first time - such a beautiful book. You might take a look at his "Working Days" journal that he wrote while writing the novel. Although it doesn't really shed much light on the book itself, it provides insight into the process of writing and struggles he dealt with at the time.
ReplyDeleteKyle, I'm reading it for the first time too. About halfway through. I didn't know about his working journal. I read half of his working journal for "East of Eden" (only returning it because it was due back at the library). I'd like to acquire a used copy of those journals somewhere, but haven't found one yet.
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