Intercalary vs Narrative

526 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The themes of the grapes of wrath

Unlike other novels John Steinbeck wrote his novel in a unique fashion. What made his novel unique was having two different types of chapters. His novel The Grapes of Wrath has two different types of chapters, intercalary and narrative. Both chapters come in pair first and intercalary chapter and then it is succeeded by a narrative chapters. Both types of chapters present the same idea. Since they come in pair, both chapters present the same idea exempt in a different manner strengthening that idea. Intercalary chapters normally come before the narrative chapters. These chapters are shorter compared to their counterpart the narrative chapters. Intercalary chapters present ideas or claims and give brief context and historical background of what is going on. These chapters interrupt narrative chapters to add information that is important for the author to get, but they will not get that information from the story. Intercalary chapters provide this information through hypothetical characters. These characters help show that claim that is made in this chapter. For example in chapter 7....

Show More
Related

  • Intercalary Chapters In The Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    Intercalary Chapters The use of Intercalary chapters is a complex technique. Writers use this structure to break up the plot with separate excerpts inserted into the novel. Intercalary chapters help to give the reader background knowledge or important information. This can help further develop the novels impact on readers. John Steinbeck displayed this strategy throughout The Grapes of Wrath, interrupting the Joad family’s journey with chapters describing other aspects of the novel’s setting.

    Read More

  • Intercalary Themes In 'The Grapes Of Wrath'

    354 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters to provide background for the various themes of the novel, as well to set the tone of the novel".

    Read More

  • Free Grapes of Wrath Essays: The Joad's Journey

    491 Words  | 1 Pages

    In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck illustrates the Joad’s endurance by his use of extended metaphors in intercalary chapters. Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters to provide background for the various themes in the novel. He effectively foreshadows upcoming events by telling of the general state of the local population in the intercalary chapters. He then narrows it down to how it effects the main characters of the novel, which are the Joads. Setting the tone of the novel in the reader’s mind is another function of Steinbeck's intercalary chapters.

    Read More

  • The Grapes Of Wrath Chapter Analysis

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    However, many readers may not enjoy Steinbeck’s use of intercalary chapters. This could be because they do not like the transition from the Dust Bowl information to the storyline of the Joad’s family. In addition, they could also feel like the intercalary chapter take the focus away from the Joad’s family and feel the background information they provide is unnecessary. To conclude, the novel The Grapes of Wrath has intercalary chapters that serve as a literary device designed to show the general social and economic elements of America during the Dust

    Read More

  • The Grapes of Wrath - Fear, Hostility, and Exploitation in Chapter 21

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within four pages, Steinbeck greatly clarifies and expands upon his story by examining the different emotions and reactions of his general character groups. He takes two sides of an argument and applies them to a third body rather than pit them against each other. By mastering the use of the intercalary chapter, he is able enrich his story with deeper thought and explore it outside the boundaries of his main characters. In this manner, Steinbeck is able to write a four-page chapter which holds great meaning to a 581-page novel.

    Read More

  • Free Grapes of Wrath Essays: Steinbeck's Style

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck’s writing is elegantly simple, and with this style, he gives a clear and powerful message.  His deeply meaningful metaphors convey emotions and sentiments in a way that forcibly affects the reader.  The distinct Biblical references add an air of authority to his work that makes it all the more effective.  Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath is brimming with profound meaning in every sentence to a level equaled by few novels.  Steinbeck & nbsp; & nbsp;

    Read More

  • Grapes Of Wrath Compare And Contrast Essay

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck had many comparisons from the movie and the book. In 1939, this story was to have some of the readers against the ones that kept the American people in poverty held responsible for their actions. This unique story was about the Joad’s family, who were migrant workers looking for a good decent job. They were also farmers from Oklahoma that are now striving to find some good work and success for their family in California. This novel was one of Steinbeck’s best work he has ever done. It was in fact an Academy Award movie in 1940. Both the movie and the novel are one of Steinbeck’s greatest masterpieces on both the filmmaking and the novel writing. Both the novel and film are mainly the same in the beginning of the story and towards the end. There were some few main points that Steinbeck took out from the book and didn’t mention them in the movie. “The Grapes of Wrath is a

    Read More

  • Steinbeck's Social Commentary in The Grapes of Wrath

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic novel that mimics life and offers social commentary too. It offers many windows on real life in midwest America in the 1930s. But it also offers a powerful social commentary, directly in the intercalary chapters and indirectly in the places and people it portrays. Typical of very many, the Joads are driven off the land by far away banks and set out on a journey to California to find a better life. However the journey breaks up the family, their dreams are not realized and their fortunes disappear. What promised to be the land of milk and honey turns to sour grapes. The hopes and dreams of a generation turned to wrath. Steinbeck opens up this catastrophe for public scrutiny.

    Read More

  • Comparing and Contrasting the Novel and Movie Version of The Grapes of Wrath

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although both the novel and movie form of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath are considered to be American classics, the novel provides a deeper understanding of the story's time and meaning. Absent from the film, the novel's interchapters provide a greater understanding of the time in which The Grapes of Wrath takes place. First, in the movie it is unclear why the Joads are forced to abandon their farm. It is described very briefly by Muley Graves, leaving the audience in a state of confusion. However, in the novel, Chapter 5 explains exactly why the farmers are forced to leave. In this interchapter, Steinbeck uses a dialogue between a farmer and a representative from a bank; the farmer is forced to leave because the bank, or the"Monster" as Steinbeck says, needs to make a profit, and if the farmer cannot produce any goods to pay off debts, then the bank forecloses the land. This happened to many farmers in the 1930's due to a dr...

    Read More

  • Another Ending to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a novel that does not end with any sort of hope, but does end with the reader learning about how real this novel really was. You do not put this book down after you read it and smile and wish that you could have been living in this era. This is why he ended the novel the way that he does and not 40 pages earlier where he could have made it a happy ending. Steinbeck is just like his novel and he wants you to know what happened, and why it happened. All of this happened because people were forced out of their homes and the only place they had to go was west and almost all of the families ended up like the Jones; with no money, nowhere to go and nothing to look forward to. Even though this is not the way that you wanted the ending of this novel to go, there was no other way that it could have ended.

    Read More

  • Grapes Of Wrath

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tale of The Grapes of Wrath has many levels of profound themes and meanings to allow us as the reader to discover the true nature of human existence. The author's main theme and doctrine of this story is that of survival through unity. While seeming hopeful at times, this book is more severe, blunt, and cold in its portrayl of the human spirit. Steinbeck's unique style of writing forms timeless and classic themes that can be experienced on different fronts by unique peoples and cultures of all generations.

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbeck's Use of Interchapters

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath, is a narrative about the travel of the Joad family from Oklahoma to California.  However, between many of the narrative chapters, Steinbeck inserts interchapters, which interrupt the flow of the narrative to provide the author's commentary.  This technique is very effective because the interchapters create an image of the economic and social history that impact the story.  They provide a broad picture of what is happening to the mass of migrants traveling to California on Route 66.  Without the interchapters, the reader would be given a limited view of how life was for the migrants, and Stienbeck would not have been able to provide very effective commentary.

    Read More

  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

    526 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is considered a classic novel by many in the literary field. The trials and tribulations of the Joad family and other migrants is told throughout this novel. In order to gain a perspective into the lives of "Oakies", Steinbeck uses themes and language of the troubling times of the Great Depression. Some of these aspects are critiqued because of their vulgarity and adult nature. In some places, The Grapes of Wrath has been edited or banned. These challenges undermine Steinbeck's attempts to add reality to the novel and are unjustified.

    Read More

  • Steinbeck's Style in The Grapes of Wrath

    487 Words  | 1 Pages

    John Steinbeck used a lot of different styles in The Grapes of Wrath. He liked using language that was in keeping with his characters. He was also really big on symbolism. Steinbeck also used intercalary chapters to provide some of the background information.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Man vs. Environment in The Grapes of Wrath

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption resulting from materialism (money) and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment.  The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage.  The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature.  The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment.  His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken.  The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end.   As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel.

    Read More

More about Intercalary vs Narrative

Open Document