Animalism In Grapes Of Wrath

1070 Words3 Pages

Nick Miller
Period 4
3/8/14
The Grapes of Wrath Essay Assignment

The Joad Family’s Evolution: from Animals to Societal Servants
Animalistic nature is a quality many posses in the early stages of life. Some quickly evolve from this quality, while others retain it for a lifetime. In John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath the Joad family and the changing environment they live in are portrayed as animal-like situations. Steinbeck characterizes the Joads and their fellow migrants as modest, instinct-driven individuals that are on an infinite search for paradise. The so-called “Okies” and the forces that compel them to make their voyage, nature and society, are frequently represented by animals. When they first leave their home, the Joads are a group of simplistic, animal-like people who do not understand or even realize their dilemma. However, as the novel progresses, they begin to grow and adapt to their new surroundings. They progress from an individual, self-oriented family of animals to a part of a much more superior family – society.
Throughout the novel, Steinbeck portrays the Joads and other exiled "Okies" as animalistic. They often talk about their dilemma in simplistic terms that hint that they are not initially aware of the specific conditions that force them to abandon their home. For example, Muley Graves tells Tom Joad and Jim Casy that the rest of the Joads, with their house destroyed, are "piled in John's house like gophers in a winter burrow” (63). This illustrates a family of animals that are bundled together, hoping to fend off a predator with their superior numbers. They see the societal problems around them in terms of a predator as well. For example, Casy asks a worker at a gas station, "You ever seen one a t...

... middle of paper ...

... she has to do for the man. Ma tells her, "You got to" (619) and Rose of Sharon smiles mysteriously, showing her acceptance of her new duty as a social servant for the collective good of humanity.
The Grapes of Wrath uses animal-like behavior to illustrate the changes in the world and in society during the Great Depression. The Joad family, and many others that share the same situation, are described as minor, unimportant beings who are forced on a quest for a dream they may never obtain. Along their journey, however, the family gradually evolves beyond their animalistic nature that they represented so strongly in the beginning of the novel. Through their experiences along their seemingly relentless voyage to the Promised Land, the Joads realize that there is something much larger and more important to attend to than themselves: the collective good of all mankind.

Open Document