Chapters 1-10- Personification- Letter [E]

The Bank Under My Bed:
1)"...The Bank- or the Company- needs-wants-insists-must have- as though the Bank or the Company were a monster, with thought an feeling,which had ensnared them"(Steinbeck 32).

2)"But-you see, a bank or a company can't do that, because those creatures don't breathe air, don't eat side-meat. They breathe profits; they eat the interest on money. If they don't get it, they die the way you die without air, without side-meat"(Steinbeck 32).

3)"The Bank-the monster has to have profits all the time. It can't wait. It'll die...When the monster stops growing, it dies. It can't stay one size"(Steinbeck 32).

The bank is being described with human characteristics such as "[breathing] air", "[thinking] and feeling", "growing", and "[eating]". The bank is being personified because it emphasizes how much power the bank has over the owners and the farmers. It shows the greed and corruption within the system. It also wants to give the owners an excuse for not doing anything to help the farmers. They claim that the monster is too powerful to take any action against it. It connotes a sense of futility among the farmers and takes the blame off of the owners. This contributes to the theme of how it is human nature to shift the blame from one's self. It is in our genes to do things that are in our best interest. It stems from survival instincts because if we took the blame for something, then we'd be putting ourselves in a vulnerable position. Being vulnerable usually can get us hurt so we naturally try to stay away from potentially dangerous positions. Another theme is the inherent greed in everyone. The bank is showing just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to greed. Because the bank is not just one person but a whole body of people it shows the majority being selfish and wanting to take farmers' homes in order to "breathe profits and "eat the interest on money". Also, because the owners take the blame off of themselves, they are being equally greedy because they're making money in workng for the bank. Instead of acting against the injustice in what is happening, they remain on the bank's side to save their own skin.