The Grapes of Wrath

[Lalla]

Hello everybody, thank you logos for the information
I am french and i try to read The grapes of wrath.

I have some difficulties to understand several expressions, can anyone help me please ?

For example, what does this mean :

"I'd a walked her if my dogs wasn't pooped out"
(chapter 2)

In chapter 4, Joad and Casy are talking about pulling girls in the grass - i think i understand this... - and then Casy says : "You [Joad] was always too busy pullin'little girls'pigtails when i give you the holy sperit"

And finally, please what does "to figger" mean ?

thank you !

[PeterL]

Hello everybody, thank you logos for the information
I am french and i try to read The grapes of wrath.

I have some difficulties to understand several expressions, can anyone help me please ?

For example, what does this mean :

"I'd a walked her if my dogs wasn't pooped out"
(chapter 2)

"Dogs" can mean feet. He would have taken her for a walk, if his feet hadn't felt tired.

And finally, please what does "to figger" mean ?

Figger means "figure".



Steinbeck was not one of the best authors for people who are not familiar with regional dialects to understand.

[Lalla]

OK, thank you very much !

[Mockingbird_z]

well I undersatnd you!
i read it too and the dialects Steinbeck is trying to convey are sometimes really very difficult to understand, luckily the book i read was with appendix and there i could find the explanation of some of the most frequent phrases.
so wish you good luck! this book is really worth reading.

[Lalla]

Thanks for encouragements !

I have read other novels by Steinbeck translated in French and that I really found easy to read, but if I will understand such a big book as the Grapes of wrath in American English is an uncertain thing.

What is upsetting about Steinbeck is that even if you are absolutly unconcerned by the characters and circumstances he related, you still want to mix with them.
It makes me think about the film Scarecrow with Al pacino and Gene Hackman : ever seen it ?