On The Liminality Of The Migrants In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath

Liminality is an important feature in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath,in which a massive westward journey of seeking homes is depicted,similar to a rite of passage.The migrants are in the liminal phase,struggling to change the status quo and enter the next phase.As the liminal phase is between the separation phase and incorporation phase in a rite of passage,liminality refers to the transitional phase,between two spaces or states,carrying the features of in-betweenness,ambiguity,transition,potentiality,and so on.This paper focuses on the liminality in The Grapes of Wrath,analyzing its concrete manifestation in terms of space,identity,and relationship to explore the important role the liminality plays in the migrants’ survival.During the mass migration,the migrants’ living spaces become liminal represented by liminal home spaces and liminal landscapes.The image of home haunts throughout the novel: the dead houses destroyed by machinery are between the familiar and the unfamiliar,the highway connecting the past and future becomes the new home for the migrants,and the home desired in California is just a specter between the reality and imagination.The desert and refugee camps are important liminal landscapes,the former making the migrants experience life liminality,and the latter giving them a catalyst for awakening and revolt.With the change of the environment and space,people’s identity also becomes liminal.Liminal identity displays in the uncertainty and the transition of the identity.Jim Casy is uncertain about his identity as a preacher and the Okies’ identity is uncertain because their self-identification as Americans and natives is denied by Americans in California.Tom Joad’s identity is transitioned from an indifferent individualist to a selfless altruist and Rose of Sharon grows into a mature mother in the end.Those uncertainties and transitions show that the continuous pursuit and reflection of the migrants’ self-identity is the spiritual power to survive in the migration.At the same time,the relationship with others also becomes liminal during the migration.Some are changed and some new are established.Gender relationships in the marriage are changed: there is a reversal of power between the female and the male,and the female’s inferior status is subverted.Social relationships among strangers are established: the family unites with other families and spontaneous communitas comes into being as a result of equality,homogeneity,and intimacy.The change and form of the relationships indicate that the wrathful migrants will join up to the uprise and it is hopeful for them to enter the incorporation phase.Analyzing the liminality in The Grapes of Wrath helps to further understand John Steinbeck’s concern with the survival condition and psychological state of the subaltern class,his recognition of the group’s political power,and his criticism of the American society in the 1930 s.Meanwhile,liminality is important in today’s society,where immigration becomes more and more common.This paper aims to provide some practical significance for the issues of migration in contemporary society.