Symbolism In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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The Grapes of Wrath was written in 1939 by John Steinbeck, who was a social reformer of the time period. The Grapes of Wrath was a novel whose primary focus was the great migration throughout the western United States, primarily people moving to California, and the trouble that these migrant workers faced on their journeys. Steinbeck was such a successful writer because he conveyed his thoughts in a way that was effective, and piqued the interest of the people. He also used underlying themes throughout the story, which may not be evident to the average person, but if the writing is examined more closely, it is very evident that they have a deeper meaning than what lies on the surface. Most of The Grapes of Wrath is symbolic of something, may …show more content…

More than one chapter was dedicated to describing a turtle crawling across a road, which on the surface may appear to just be about a turtle going on about its life, but if these chapters are analyzed on a deeper level, it is evident that the turtle is symbolic of the migrants going to California. When the turtle gets hit by a car and is set back, it’s symbolic of the troubles that the migrants, or that the Joads face on their journey. When the turtle finally makes it across the road, it’s symbolic of the travellers being harmed, but they still make it to their destination (Steinbeck). The turtle can be considered to be symbolic of the Joads, or the turtle’s story could be thought to coincide with the story of the Joads. At the beginning of the story, the family is preparing to move west because their property was being taken by the bank. When Tom returns to the family from the prison, along with Casy, things are starting to look better for the Joads. They start their journey, but grandpa is starting to rethink the journey, and decides he wants to stay home. The family drugs him, and not long after he dies on the side of the road, similar to the turtle being hit by the car. Once they bury grandpa they start on their trip again, then grandma dies, which is like the turtle once again being set back. The turtle is symbolic for the entire story being told. Once things are starting to look better for the characters, something else bad happens to set their hopes back (Steinbeck 10-12). Jim Casy is another example of symbolism that is used in The Grapes of Wrath. He is symbolic of religion, and that no matter what a person’s thoughts and ideals are at some point in their life, these ideas will likely change as their life progresses. Casy starts out his adult life as a preacher, but when Tom encounters him it is discovered that Casy is no longer a man of religion, and is very insistent

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