Repetition (and Repetition) (Chapters 1-10, H*)

Goggled & Muzzled

Repetition is employed in literature in order to emphasize a particular idea through the use of a word/phrase multiple times. John Steinbeck uses repetition in various instances throughout The Grapes of Wrath, one of which being the description of a tractor driver about to clear out a tenant farmer's land:

"A twitch at the controls could swerve the cat', but the driver's hands could not twitch because the monster that built the tractor, the monster that sent the tractor out, had somehow got into the driver's hands, into his brain and muscle, had goggled him and muzzled him–goggled his mind, muzzled his speech, goggled his perception, muzzled his protest." (35)

The purpose of this repetition is to express the lack of control that some had over their own lives, as they were driven by the thoughts and wants of others. In this case, the tractor driver (most probably in need of money) does what he is told by the "monster," or the bank, to fulfill his job. However, he is evidently blinded by the wishes of the bank, and thus is "goggled" and "muzzled" to a point where he is uncontrollably unable to divert his actions from destroying the tenant farmers' land. The repeated use of "goggled" serves to highlight the fact that everything that this tractor driver 'sees' is covered up by the bank, allowing no room for personal decision. He is instead "programmed," so to speak, to complete a certain task for the bank and earn a monetary reward in the end as long as there are no complications and the job gets finished – which is what the tractor driver ultimately ends up doing, with the bank controlling every single one of his moves. "Goggl[ing]" the driver also demonstrates the grand arsenal of power that the bank has over the driver, as it is able to dictate every one of his actions and direct them in order to achieve the most profit out of his services. The repetition of "muzzled" also serves a similar purpose: it underscores the lack of voice the tractor driver has in his own actions. Any forms of communication or rebellion against his job are "muzzled," or put down, by the bank to prevent any obstacle from interfering between the bank and its goal of clearing up tenant farmers' land. "Muzzl[ing]" is an act that commonly associated with canines and is used as a restraining technique in order to quiet the animal and/or to prevent it from (possibly violent) outbursts. The fact that the driver is being "muzzled" allows a parallel to be drawn between the driver and a dog, highlighting that the driver is just a pawn in the game of capitalism as he is controlled by the bank, similar to how a dog is controlled by his master. This also brings about the great power that the bank has–as it has complete control of the driver and the driver can do nothing about it– and the fact that although the driver is committing these horrendous actions, he is just doing it at the will of the bank, and is just an intermediary. At the outset, the use of both "goggled" and "muzzled" demonstrates the lack of authority that workers had in their own lives due to their obligation to follow every one of their superior's orders and the obstinacy of capital, such as the bank, to get its job done no matter what.