Out of Space and Time (Tom Joad at Walmart?)
How deconstructing classic literature allows us to rebuild timeless human drama in any era.
When I was in grade school, my teacher would often ask us if the story we read could be written in another time or place. What would be different? Could the story still work?
What would The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne look like if written in 1950 as opposed to the first part of the 17th century?
What would The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway look like if it was set in central Illinois?
What would The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck look like if set in 2026 in Southern Wisconsin?
Each of those stories would require substantial changes, but some of the core things could remain.
In The Scarlet Letter, it could be seen as a story of discrimination. Hester Prynne wore an embroidered letter A on her clothing to remind others of her adulterous behavior, while simultaneously reminding Hester of her sin. If it was set in the 1950s, we would need to do some easy things like update her name to something more contemporary. More importantly, we might choose to force her to wear a Jewish star, the Star of David. That would not be because of a sinful choice, but because of racial prejudice against Jews. Because that was part of actual history in certain communities, we would be telling Hester’s story very intimately knowing it was part of a larger historiographical truth.
