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Minor characters in the grapes of wrath essay
Themes and examples in the grapes of wrath
Literature And Society
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Continuing on through part two of “The Grapes of Wrath”, chapter twelve gives a description of the migrants as they continued on their journey down Highway 66 to the westward components of California (Steinbeck 117-122). In Chapter thirteen, expounds how the Joads were seen traveling and spending the night down Route 66, and while traveling along the way Grampa Joad passed away from a stroke and had to be buried along the road. Tom and Al ended up having to repair the Wilsons’ car, and during that moment the families decided to continue on their travels (Steinbeck 123-149). Chapter fourteen outlines the possibilities for social change innate in the migrants' poignant situation (Steinbeck 150-152). Chapter fifteen gives a description of the …show more content…
Later on, up the road at the roadside camp, the Joads were told of the deplorable working conditions and the little work that was available in California, from a man who was in the process of returning back to his home, after having to watch his children and wife die from starvation (Steinbeck 163-192). Chapter seventeen gives a detailed description of the communal ruled roadside camps that were setup by the traveling migrants (Steinbeck 193-200). Chapter eighteen describes and tells of the Joads journey across Arizona and when they reached the Colorado River. After having been baptized, Noah decided to leave the group and go on his own adventure, and the Wilson family had to stop their travels due to the fact that Sairy had become too ill to continue on traveling any further. None the less, the Joads continued their travels alone across the Mojave Desert, and during their crossing Granma Joad passed away, but with the hopes of keeping her family together and not deter any of them from making it across safely, Ma Joad kept the death of Granma to herself (Steinbeck
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
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.
Ma Joad is saying how before the Joads were forced on their journey westward they didn’t have to obey anyone else and they were their own bosses. Ever since they were forced to migrate she has felt oppressed and mistreated which gave her a sense of meanness and made her ashamed. Steinbeck’s point here is to show that the migration did not only create hardship for society, but it also diminished and altered society as people. These social and political aspects (mistreatment of society by police and government) portray the loss of sanity within society and also society’s loss of morals, two major themes within the novel. With the use of new historicism and analysis of history through the use of social and political dimensions, the reader is able to better comprehend the impact of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl on society as a
Throughout the book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the physical transition of the Joad family from a small close-knit group of people living a quiet life on a farm in Oklahoma, corresponds with the internal transition of the concept of family. As the Joads leave their farm and journey westward, they no longer live just within their own isolated unit. Becoming involved with other families as they migrate, changes their focus and by the end of the book, the family members each reach out in their own way to embrace all of mankind as a family.
Through the roughest times in life, we come across crises that reveal the true character in those around us. Those who are strong are divided from the weak and the followers divide from the leaders. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck presents the character Ma Joad who serves an important role as the rock that keeps the family together. The Joad family, apart from many families in Oklahoma, is forced to leave their homes in search of work and better opportunities; California not only leaves them in poverty but despair. But through it all Ma Joad is the leader of the family that exhibits selflessness in order to protect and secure her family.
There are plenty of fantastic inter-chapters, chapter five is another inter-chapter that discusses the tractors that would come to the land and plow through it. It destroys everything in its path. This chapter is an abstract conflict between the tenant farmer and the banks. The banks want to take over the land to make more money, but it is very difficult for the farmers to leave because the land has been settled by their grandfathers. One tenant farmers is so upset that he threatens to shoot the driver by saying “(he’d) be in the window with a rifle” (p. 51). Another chapter describes a tenant farmer that has to leave and is cheated into paying too much for a car.
“In the evening a strange thing happened…” (Steinbeck, 192). In chapter 17 of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the reader witnesses the unity of the masses. As all the families gather in a camp after a long day driving, there is some sudden connection between the strangers. Steinbeck turns giant quantities (hundreds of people/twenty families) into one family, one struggle, and one dream for a better life. The word “one” is utilized to link these families to each other. A single guitar is able to gather a crowd men and women in a single song, and the birth of a single child is enough to amaze an entire camp. Quantity is reoccurring this text, but is very trivial in the scheme of things. The number of people seems irrelevant to the greater
Throughout the novel Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck illustrates the strength of the Joad family and their ability to keep family first amongst countless trials and tribulations. At the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad, the main protagonist of the story, experiences a sharp rude awakening to his plans of relaxing and “rutting after the women” when he returns home after serving a four-year prison sentence for a homicide he was forced to commit out of self-defense. The beginning quarter of this novel is devoted to Tom's reuniting with his family as he finds them just before they leave Oklahoma for California. Because the author devotes such a large section of the novel to this “reuniting” presents the importance of family as a stabilizing force.
John Steinbeck is a profound American author who is known for his original writing strategies. Throughout the years, many literature majors have criticized his styles, or have been influenced by his abnormal patterns. Does a mainstream book surpass a novel with thought and ingenuity? I for one can not justify a flat book over a new way to think about reading. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath uses a style that includes intercalary chapters, which separates the heavy plot by adding a brief informative chapter in between. Steinbeck’s use of intercalary chapters strengthens the connection of the story, and is a mature way to display deep themes.
In spite of determination is the key to success, others would contradict and question why. In the story, “Against The Odds” Sully had determination, to save the people on the plane. Determination matters for everyone because it motivates others to reach their goal. For instance in, “The Grapes Of Wrath” the farmers had the determination to move through the disasters such as blackouts, thick air, and dust storms. The determination is essential for those who are successful like Sully, Bethany Hamilton, Billy Coleman, Albert Einstein, and J.K Rowling. To begin being successful is important for all people that want to aim to their goal.
Now I know what you are thinking, babies are born and they are immediately loved more than the parents love themselves, so they have to have meaning. However, if you think about it, no matter how sad and horrendous it may seem, there are millions of babies born every year that are unloved and practically and sometimes quite literally thrown away like garbage. So babies, something so innocent, really isn't even born with “meaning” to someone until their parent or guardian gives it to them. This is where Roth makes a valid point, “…of course her daughter has meaning, however, the meaning Sheri gives her daughter is not preordained,” (Roth, 19). His entire point in chapter one is not that the things you hold dear and prize don’t have value, but
Have you ever seen those little Dust Devils on a windy day? Well in the story, “The Grapes of Wrath,” the author talks about a bigger threat in the 1930’s. A disaster so bad It made people leave the place and move to the West.
The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, goes through the telling of the time of the Dust Bowl. Times were hard back in the era of the 1930s, the Great Depression was just beginning, and soon trouble would arrive in the Midwest. Steinbeck wrote about the Joad’s, a family living in Oklahoma wanting to travel to the West to get a job and have food. In the contrast to the Joad’s, Steinbeck wrote about what types of situations were happening during the Dust Bowl; countless people were trying to buy cars and move out West to find a better place to live than in the heart of the Dust Bowl. Route 66 was a popular road that numerous people drove on to go to the promise land of the West. The picture I created was the long road that took them to
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a novel about the injustices migrant workers faced during the Dust Bowl. He discusses how these injustices by the government lead to revolutions by the people. In “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, he discusses his ideas on people and their relationship with the government. Steinbeck and Thoreau present similar and different ideas on the government. The two works analyze government issues such as jail, individualism versus collectivism, and disobedience to the government.