The Dust Bowl of Oklahoma devastated thousands of families living in Oklahoma during the 1930’s. The drought, destruction of crops, and ultimately failing economies drove these families out of their home in search of work. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, follows the journey of the Joad family as they venture away from a dry and dusty Oklahoma, in search of the luscious, orange filled California. Through his diction and use of perspective, John Steinbeck conveys to his audience the value of strength and perseverance, and is able to compose and unseemingly connection between the reader and the Joad family.
Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck purposely gives extremely detailed, almost repetitive narratives. For example, beginning
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in chapter 1, the reader will constantly come across phrases such as, “The last rains lifted the corn quickly and scattered weed colonies and grass along the sides of the roads so that the gray country and the dark red country began to disappear under a green cover”. The precise narratives mimic the journey that the Joads endured. Their trek was extraordinarily complex, just like the descriptions Steinbeck gives. Along the way they faced innumerable hardships, however they continued to persevere. Steinbeck does not leave out a single detail to portray the strength the Joads contained. He allows us to better understand the gruesome reality the Joads and many other families faced. In fact, he used the word “pale” five times on the first page, drilling the notion that not only was the land physically pale, but implying that the souls of the inhabitants of the land were pale with despair. Additionally, Steinbeck employs a relentless, obstinate tone, once again mirroring the tenacity and courage the Joads and other migrants traveled with. The vigor and vitality of the Joads are what ultimately allowed them to reach California. Chapter 25 parallels chapter 1, in that it vividly describes the land and conditions of the spring, however this time in California. Steinbeck sketches images in the reader’s mind, such as “the fruit swells and the flowers break out in long clusters on the vines...prunes lengthen like little green bird’s eggs, and the limbs sag down against the crutches under the weight”. There are much simpler and concise ways to illustrate the spring to the reader. Nevertheless, Steinbeck once again models his descriptions off of the Joad’s journey. Words such as “sweet” and “blossom” represent the sweetness and satisfaction of finally reaching California. For the readers who have never experienced a time period such as the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, to imagine the time and effort put into moving across the country and starting new is near impossible. By using extended, detailed narratives, Steinbeck helps aid the reader in better comprehending how complicated the lives of the affected families became. Not only did Steinbeck present the determination of the Joads, but through his use of alternating perspectives, Steinbeck is able to create an unlikely connection between the farmers of the Dust Bowl, and his audience.
Both chapter 1 and chapter 25 stray from the Joad’s point of view, to a broader and more descriptive point of view. Chapter 1 of the story is written in a third person point of view, telling the story of the “Men and women huddled in their houses”, who “tied handkerchiefs over their noses… and wore goggles to protect their eyes”. This point of view creates a barrier between the reader and the characters. At this point in the story it is tough for the reader to sympathize with the characters because they have limited knowledge of the true distress that the farmers were fighting. As the story progresses and the reader learns more about the Joad family and the historical context surrounding the circumstances of the Dust Bowl, the barrier slowly crumbles. Due to the handful of chapters that Steinbeck uses to educate the reader about the condition and time period, the reader is more able to place him or herself into the story, right alongside the Joads. Chapter 25, begins similarly to chapter 1. However, towards the end of the chapter, Steinbeck has switched over to a first person point of view, including the reader into the story. Steinbeck states, “There is a failure here that topples all our success”. The clever incorporation of the reader into the story implements a sense of accomplishment to the reader. He or she now has an enhanced understanding of the Dust Bowl and the events surrounding it. Steinbeck has enabled his readers to merge with the story. He has achieved what most writers wish to achieve; he has made the reader a part of the story. Not only do the alternating chapters help the reader connect to the characters, but they show the reader that the journey is not specific to the Joads. Although individual details are unique to each migrant,
overall the migrants faced the same journey. The alternating chapters enable Steinbeck to portray the generality of the Joad’s journey, using them as a microcosm for the rest of the migrant population. John Steinbeck uses diction to show his readers how much strength and dedication that not only the Joads traveled with, but the real families affected by the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. Making the journey across the country was a risk that many people took in order to give their families a better opportunity for prosperity. In addition, Steinbeck alternates point of views in order to create a connection between the Joads and the reader. Creating a connection for the reader is easier said than done, yet John Steinbeck skillfully and successfully intertwined the reader and the Joad family, so that each became a part of the other. Although The Grapes of Wrath is a fictional story, the Dust Bowl was a real time for real people. This story is an excellent depiction of the devastating events that forever changed the lives of thousands of people.
He learns his family has moved in with his uncle John and decides to travel a short distance to see them. He arrives only to learn they are packing up their belongings and moving to California, someplace where there is a promise of work and food. This sets the Joad family off on a long and arduous journey with one goal: to survive. In this novel Steinbeck set forth with the intention of raising awareness to the general public of the difficulties and injustices these migrants faced during this period in time. It exposed the methods of the California farmer to use the migrants in order to lower their costs and make their profit margin higher. How they starved and cheated the poor, working man, in order to keep him desperate for food and too weak to protest.
The Grapes of Wrath explicates on the Dust Bowl era as the reader follows the story of the Joads in the narrative chapters, and the migrants in expository chapters. Steinbeck creates an urgent tone by using repetition many times throughout the book. He also tries to focus readers on how the Dust Bowl threatened migrant dreams using powerful imagery. As well as that, he creates symbols to teach the upper class how the Dust Bowl crushed the people’s goals. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck utilizes imagery, symbolism, and repetition to demonstrate how the Dust Bowl threatened the “American Dream.”
When times get tough, many people turn away from everyone and everything. It must be part of human nature to adopt an independent attitude when faced with troubles. It is understandable because most people do not want to trouble their loved ones when they are going through problems, so it is easier to turn away than stick together. Maybe their family is going through a rough patch and they reason they would be better off on their own. This path of independence and solitude may not always be the best option for them or their family, though. Often times it is more beneficial for everyone to work through the problem together. It is not always the easiest or most desirable option, but most times it is the most efficient and it will get results in the long run. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck makes this point very clear through several characters. Many characters throughout
Most of Steinbeck’s work conveys a deeper meaning or message to the readers, and The Grapes of Wrath presents no exception, as redemption’s prevalence influences the growth of each character. Although the book ends with a tragic flood after the family has faced the loss of Rose of Sharon’s newborn baby, the novel still ends in happiness, since characters such as Jim Casy, Uncle John, Tom Joad, and Rose of Sharon attain redemption and in doing so, become saviors for migrant families. Steinbeck manifests the idea the migration did not necessarily implicate the Joads would find prosperity in the promised land of California, but would instead fulfill the quest for absolution, which results in their heroic
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.
In the 1930s, America’s Great Plains experienced a disastrous drought causing thousands of people to migrate west. As their land was devastated by the Dust Bowl, deprived farmers were left with few options but to leave. The Grapes of Wrath depicts the journey of the Joads, an Oklahoma based family which decides to move to California in search of better conditions. Coming together as thirteen people at the start, the Joads will undertake what represents both a challenge and their only hope. Among them are only four women embodying every ages: the Grandma, the Mother and her two daughters, the pregnant Rose of Sharon and the young Ruthie. Appearing in Chapter Eight the mother, who is referred to as “Ma”, holds a decisive role in Steinbeck’s novel. She is, along with her son Tom (the main character of the book), present from the early stage of the story until its very end. We will attempt to trace back her emotional journey (I) as well as to analyze its universal aspects and to deliver an overall impression on the book (II).
Throughout the novel, The Grapes of Wrath there are intercalary chapters. The purpose of these chapters are to give the readers insight and background on the setting, time, place and even history of the novel. They help blend the themes, symbols, motifs of the novel, such as the saving power of family and fellowship, man’s inhumanity to man, and even the multiplying effects of selfishness. These chapters show the social and economic crisis flooding the nation at the time, and the plight of the American farmer becoming difficult. The contrast between these chapters helps readers look at not just the storyline of the Joad family, but farmers during the time and also the condition of America during the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck uses these chapters to show that the story is not only limited to the Joad family,
Steinbeck's intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath have nothing to do with the Joads or other characters of the novel, but help describe the story in different terms. They are similar to poems, offering different viewpoints of the migration, and clarifying parts of the story that the reader might not understand. An excellent example of this use can be seen in chapter 21, where an examination of the attitudes of migrant Okies and the residents of California reveals the changing nature of land ownership among the changing population of California and gives greater meaning to the fierce hostility that the Joads meet in California.
Matt, Mon Assignment: Grapes of Wrath D/M/Y United States History Since 1865 The Grapes of Wrath is a very interesting novel. Throughout the novel, the author does not provide a lot of descriptions of the Joad’s family characteristics; however, the action of those characters speak for itself. One of the most astonishing character that I find really interesting is, Ma Joad. After reading the book, I felt so sad and depressed of what she had to go through in her life.
Steinbeck strikes at the fear in every man’s soul, with his portrayal of the poverty stricken life of the Joads as they travel from one stage of abandonment and what would seem like a helpless state to a journey of enduring perseverance. The Joads, Steinbeck’s creation in the Novel Grapes of Wrath is a large close-knit family living in Oklahoma during the “Dust Bowl” era. Steinbeck documents their journey beginning with their homelessness due to the crop failures to them surviving in a box car at the end of their journey. I think Steinbeck’ intention is to illustrate to the reader that being poor doesn’t always equate with being helpless. The Joads demonstrate this by their resilience to overcome homelessness, death, and prejudice.
John Steinbeck wrote a book, The Grapes of Wrath, which would change forever the way Americans, thought about their social classes and even their own families. The novel was completed in 1938 and then published in 1939. When this novel was released the critics saw it as being very controversial. Some critics called it a master piece, while others called it pornography. Steinbeck's attack of the upper-class and the readers' inability to distinguish the fictitiousness of the book often left his readers disgruntled. The time period in which this book was written was the 1930's while there was a horrible drought going on in the Oklahoma pan handle and during the Great Depression. Thousands of Oklahoma families were forced off their land because of their failure to farm and as a result they were unable to pay their bills so the banks were foreclosing on their houses. This resulted in a huge population of people all migrating west to California, because they were promised work by big fruit plantations. Unfortunately, when this mass of people showed up the jobs with high wages advertised on the pamphlets were not there. This left them homeless and in deep poverty with no where to go. The families would stay in California though either in hoovervilles or government camps. Steinbeck brings you along with the Joads on their journey to California. Although Steinbeck shows some comparisons between the Joads and the greater migrant community, the Joads do not serve as a microcosm of that culture because they differ in regards to leadership of the family and also the Joads' willingness to give to anyone.
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.
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck, which focuses on an Oklahoman family that is evicted from their farm during an era of depression caused by the Dust Bowl. The Joad family alongside thousands of other refugees (also affected by the dirty thirties) migrates west towards California seeking employment and a new home. John Steinbeck’s purpose for writing this novel was to inform his audience of how many of their fellow Americans were being mistreated and of the tribulations they faced in order to attain regain what they once had. As a result, The Grapes of Wrath triggered its audience’s sympathy for the plight of the Dust Bowl farmers and their families.
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is a novel depicting the Okies migration to California during the period in history known as The Dustbowl. In this novel Steinbeck attempts to display the tensions between the Okies and the Californians. This display can be closely compared to today’s tensions between citizens born in the US and the Immigrants. Great pieces of literature are timeless in the lessons they teach and the controversy they portray.
The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described a covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is ruined ^way of life (farming) gone, people ^uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for ^profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers) have been drained of life and are exploited: