Theme Of Grapes Of Wrath

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The Journey Theme of

The Grapes of Wrath

In the Classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck displays in his writing many different and interconnected themes. The main idea of the novel can be interpreted many different ways through many of the different actions and characters throughout the novel. In the first chapter of the novel, Steinbeck describes the dust bowl and foreshadows the theme:

The men came were silent and they did not move often. And the women

came out of the houses to stand beside their men-to feel whether this

time the men would break.

As a theme, Steinbeck wanted the reader to see that humanity is on a journey, and for good or bad humanity continues to move ahead. Along with journey come changes, another important idea in the novel, which correlates directly with the main theme.

Journey is the main idea in the beginning of the novel when Tom Joad first gets out of prison and is looking for a ride home. Walking home he spots a turtle. Lying on the highway, missed by a car, hit by a truck, the turtle still struggles to continue his own journey towards the southwest. So already in the novel, two journeys are taking place, one a man’s journey and the other, nature’s journey.

Change is evident as an idea in the novel when Tom is reunited with his childhood preache...

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