The Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis

The Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls are the stories of two families who endure seemingly insurmountable
odds to stay together. Just a few of the many hardships they face include financial instability and homelessness. The Walls and the Joads have a lot of
qualities that help them stay together, but their saving qualities are their ambition and the leadership skills in the women. The central conflict in The
Grapes of Wrath is the Dust Bowl during the 1930's and its effects on tenant farmers. The Joads are just one of many families affected by this
disaster. The story revolves around their move to California and their search for jobs. The quality that helps them endure is their ambition. Their desire
to be successful drives them to work hard and support one another. Their ambition is symbolized by their move to California and search...show more
content...
Jeannette, the narrator, is a young girl whose father is an inventor who frequently loses his jobs and her mother refuses to work. Whereas the Joads
have a drive to go out and work, Jeanette's parents do just about everything they can to not have to work. Her father fills her family's heads with the
idea that they'll become rich once he sells one of his inventions. Another one of his inventions was going to be the Glass Castle: a massive glass mansion
that was self–sufficient and produced its own energy. In the second chapter, Jeanette talks about both inventions. She says, "Dad was always
inventing things, too. One of his most important contraptions was a complicated contraption called the Prospector, It was going to help us find
gold." And then, " All of Dad's engineering skills and mathematical genius were coming together in one special project: a great big house he was going
to build for us in the desert. It would have a glass ceiling and thick glass walls and even a glass staircase" (Walls, pages
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Essay on Grapes Of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, a remarkable novel that greatly embodied the entire uprisal of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in
the 1930's. The usage of imagery and symbolism help to support his many different themes running through the course of the novel. His use of language
assisted in personifying the many trials and tribulations which the Joad family, and the rest of the United States, was feeling at the time. This was a
time of great confusion and chaos because no one really knew what the other was going through, they were all just trying to hold their own. To display
the many sides of the depression Steinbeck developed the use of intercallorie chapters, and he...show more content...
He also used animal imagery throughout the novel. The most prominent description of these animals was the highly symbolic land turtle. "The back
legs went to work, straining like elephant legs, and the shell tipped to an angle so that the front legs could not reach the level cement plain"(20)."The
old humorous eyes looked ahead, and the horny beak opened a little. His yellow toe nails slipped a fraction in the dust"(21). This sort of description
gives the reader an impression of struggling effort with a lack of results, which was part of the hardship the people in the Dust Bowl were experiencing.
Steinbeck used the descriptions of the characters themselves to create images, typically giving the people animal qualities. "Joad's lips stretched tight
over his long teeth for a moment, and he licked his lips like a dog, one in each direction from the middle"(16). Also, he used imagery to portray the
people of the time, and the weariness of their life and emotions:
Lines of weariness around the eyes, lines of discontentment down from the mouth, breasts lying heavily in little hammocks...the mouths panting, the
eyes sullen, disliking sun and wind and earth, resenting food and weariness, hating time that rarely makes them beautiful and always makes them
old.(199)
Steinbeck's usage of

The Grapes of Wrath: Connections to the Great Depression
The decaying state of the American economy and the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s brought about the necessity for the United States to
reconsider its attitudes and examine the long term effects of its policies concerning wide–scale socioeconomic problems that were constantly growing
bigger. The Great Depression led to the creation of many new and innovative government policies and programs, along with revisions to older economic
systems. However, these cost the government billions of dollars in a country that had consistently been stretching the gap between the rich and poor.
This continued as the Great Depression began to change everything people had grown old knowing,...show more content...
"Every moving thing lifted the dust into the air: a walking man lifted a thin layer as high as his waist, and a wagon lifted the dust as high as the fence
tops, and an automobile boiled a cloud behind it. The dust was long and settling back again." (Steinbeck 4)
Crops had indeed been ruined as well, and for a long while. It took many futile attempts from farmers at replanting their wheat to realize this; the
earth–uprooting storms did not spare anymore crops a chance. After seeing that all efforts put into this region were proving to be in vain, farmers
had decided to move out west (Mostly to California for its professed jobs and beautiful land and climate) in a struggling effort for survival. They
began migrating using any jalopies or old cars that they could obtain and hopping on Route 66, which would take them where they needed to go. "The
people in flight streamed out on Route 66, sometimes a single car, sometimes a little caravan. All day they rolled slowly along the road and at night
they stopped near water". (Steinbeck 152) A large amount of the migrants came from the heavily dust–infested Oklahoma. Many of these unfortunate
folk were looked down upon and prejudiced against because they could only pray for jobs that could give them the wages they needed to purchase food
and endure. The migrant Americans,

Essay about The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a historical and fictional novel that was written by John Steinbeck in 1939. He wanted to show his point of view of life in
US during the years of Great Depression. This essay will talk about the lifestyle the public had during that time which dramatically changed conditions
that the environment in we stern part of US had. The plot of Steinbeck?s work of fiction is rooted in the historical and social events of 1930s America,
specifically the environmental disaster in Oklahoma. Drought had been a serious problem for the Great Plains region of the United States for many
decades prior to the 1930s. Meanwhile, poor farming techniques of numerous sharecroppers had decimated the agricultural capacity of the land, the
...show more content...
Grandpa Joad, who complains that he does not want to leave his land, dies on the road after the family?s departure. As the Joads near California, they
hear warning rumors of a depleted job market. One migrant tells Pa that more than twice more people show up than needed for work and that his own
children have starved to death. Soon after they reached their destination, they lose three members of the family. Grandma dies, Noah, the oldest of the
Joad children, and Connie, the husband of pregnant Rose of Sharon, abandon the family. As Joads come to California, they observe overcrowded
camps that are full of starving migrants. Work is almost impossible to find or pays such a small salary that the whole family cannot earn enough money
for food. While staying in a camp known as a ?Hooverville,? Tom and several men get into an intense argument with a deputy sheriff over whether
workers should organize into a union. After that, Tom knocks the sheriff unconscious, but Jim Casy is arrested. Police officers announce their intention
to burn the Hooverville. A government–run camp proves much friendlier to the Joads, and the family soon finds many friends and some work.
Although the life in that camp for the family is pleasant, they cannot survive without steady work, and they must move on. Joads starts to pick fruit,
but soon find out that they are getting a decent pay only because they have been hired to break a worker?s strike. Tom meets Jim Casy, after being

Essay about Grapes Of Wrath
John Steinbeck uses symbolism to enrich his writing. Several of these symbols can be found in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad's, a family
from Oklahoma, are in search of a better life. They leave their home in journey to California because of the dust bowl. The symbols in the book are the
dust, the turtle, names of people, and the grapes. These symbols give the reader an additional perspective of the book. Dust represents life and death.
Dust makes a mess of things and leaves possessions under a mucky film. The farming in Oklahoma becomes difficult because the heavy winds uplift
the soil and carry it great distances. Then the farmers are left with no soil to grow their crops. The Joad's livelihood depends on the soil. If the...show
more content...
An' they ain't done it, neither" (p.62). Muley's last name symbolizes death. The fact that he is to die on his land. Everyone is tractored off the
land, but him. As the Joad's are forced to move off their land, they decide to move west, to California. After traveling all night they finally reach the
mountains on the other side of the desert. Everyone gets out of the truck to gawk at the beautiful fields. But not everyone sees the same thing.
Tom claims that Ruthie and Winfield, his younger siblings, are the ones that see the true beauty. "Who's really seein' it is Ruthie an' Winfiel'"
(p.313). Winfield is young and his name hints to the reader that he might "win the fields" from the rich farmers down the line. He is capable of
working the land and may be the first farmer of the Joad family. While Ruthie, she is ruthless. She is very cruel and finds it hard to share. She was
nibbling on some cracker jacks and some kids came and asked for some crackers, but Ruthie, she wouldn't share. "So Ruthie got mad an' chased 'em,
an' she fit one, an' then she fit another, an' then one big girl got up an' licked her" (p.563). Although she appears to be strong in reality she is weak .
Grapes are the fruit of the vine; something sweet. But in actuality for the Joad's they are a disappointment. The Joad's talk about them as being this
wonderful fruit that will bring them a better life. They will pick the grapes and earn

The Grapes of Wrath Essays
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is set in the horrible stage of our American history, the Depression. Economic, social, and historical surroundings separate the
common man of America into basically the rich and poor. A basic theme is that man turns against one another in a selfish pride to only protect
themselves. For example, the landowners create a system in which migrants are treated like animals and pushed along from one roadside camp to the
next. They are denied decent wages and forced to turn against their fellow scramblers to simply survive.
The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of two types of 'families' in that the Joads are a factual one and the body of migrant workers as the other. The Joads
are actual blood...show more content...
Tom, though, is a very complicated individual who turns out to be a tremendous asset and burden to the family. His parole causes the family an
unneeded worry, but does get work that helps the family. He is the main protagonist for his family and the main follower of Jim Casy's philosophy on
human nature. Jim is much more of a talker and idealist, and he actually puts what he preached into action. Jim Casy is frequently compared with
Jesus Christ and his lifestyle of preaching and leading people. As well as sacrificing himself for Tom and theJoad family which upholds his common
held belief. Tom carries Jim's message after his death and aids others with it. The Joad family, along with Jim Casy, shows the benefit of people
uniting in order to accomplish goals and this is a lesson that the reader can take away from this novel.
The setting is so important to the novel because it sets the role and background of the characters. View of the Depression then come from a man just
off of parole or a grandfather who is getting old and to weak to be the backbone of the family. The Depression that has hit nailed thecommon man and
jobs are scarce. This is the binding factor between everyone in the novel – that most people are 'down in the dumps.'
The main theme of the book is the 'character' of people in that time. How people bonded and rejected one another in a time of such hardship and
demoralization. I think every character played a part in the

The Grapes Of Wrath
"At the heart of every immigrant's experience is a dream– a vision of hope that is embodied in his or her destination" (Gladstein, p. 685). In the novel,
The Grapes of Wrath, it is portrayed that the migrant's thoughts of an American Dream is/was a simple and straightforward notion: go west
(California), get employment and become rich. Little did they that know that an ideal and perfect life was difficult to accomplish and it corrupted the
minds of those pursuing it. The author, John Steinberg, placed a lot of emphasis on the unachievable nature of the American Dream regarding
economic stability in the novel through the cross–country migration of the Joads, their continuous and unpredictable changes in employment and
eventually, their failure to find the success they so desired in California (Aghosh, Allentown, PA).
The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is an...show more content...
The Joads were going down "something of a tricky intense street a way of escape from misery to an uncertain Californian deliverance" (Spangler). It
can be reasoned that "when the one and only option is putting the family on the road to a foreign place, problems arise" (Spangler) and the Joads
faced many problems. Connie, among his relatives, chose to accept reality rather than to live in a fantasy – pursuing the American Dream. For instance,
"Connie strikes out all alone... he then forsakes the Joads' adamant quest for ranch work for the open doors in the city" (Bloom, p. 18). Connie
understood that pursuing the American Dream was an exercise in vainness and although he ran far from the matters of money related uncertainty by
leaving his significant other and child, he was essentially doing what was reasonable and rather taken after a future that would best suit him. While the
Joads were on an endless excursion in search of the American Dream, they didn't discover any jobs that suited their trust of a money related way of

The Grapes Of Wrath: A Short Story
I'm talking serious quantities of toads. This is what the great LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let
them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and
onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your
people and all your officials. – Exodus 8:1–4 Welp! God ordered Moses to have the above wrath fall upon the Egyptians, then I guess centuries later he
thought it would be a good idea to have them to converge onto Smithtown...and converge they did. From little ones that approached cute, to big fat
juicy ones,...show more content...
It turned into toad genocide. You'd push the gas mower in a nice straight row–slicing off the tops of the grass blades and adding to the summer's sweet
potpourri–as the roar of the engine lulled you into a trance, then your trance gets rudely interrupted with the quick spurt of sound, when a plump
one got pureed. I think I was only involved in one intentional murder of these freakin' intruders, (I didn't even dissect one in school.) and I was only
an accomplice in the crime. I assisted as I pitched a fat guy to my friend with a bat, who only managed a bunt. Toads don't go far. Unbeknownst to
me, less than a mile away on the other side of the school, there was a future friend who was the Hitler of The Froggy Holocaust. He, and his
Gestapo, were responsible for a collective killing of these jumping; wart causing, Brothers Grimm's prince kissing, lick and trip [1] amphibians.
Though I wasn't involved in this story, it warrants being told. Hitler Mike, many years later would become a good friend of mine, and he shared this
story with me. He told his tale, a tale I think I would have suppressed into my past, along with not sharing some of the weird things I did – as a young
whipper snapper – such as when I discovered the art of masturbation. I did it, but I ain't goin tell it. (Opps! I just

Summary: The Grapes Of Wrath
Mike felt something empty inside; he would escape his normal life and marriage by joining a group of men who would kill an innocent man. His
shadow would reveal itself, which Mike did not want to bare to the rest of the community because he wanted to fit in. He would repress his feelings
by re–thinking his actions when it came to hurting another person. When he stood there, watched, felt irritated next to a man who watched with him,
and told him how he felt towards the man by the tree trying to burn the body. He turned to a man who stood beside him in the near–darkness, "That
don't do no good, he said" (Steinbeck 133). Mike believed burning the body would not do any good towards the men by the tree. Mike felt this strange
feeling inside him,

The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath ends in a rather idiosyncratic way. Steinbeck provides an anticlimax ending that is open to interpretation. The last scene
occurs after the Joad family has to move from their boxcar due to the flood that has been ongoing for six days. At this point the family has
encountered a series of problems that seem to be never ending. Every time there is a glimpse of hope, something comes and tears everything down.
In California for example, finding a job was difficult for the family. On different occasion, they would get flyers or invitations to work at a farm but
get there only to be disappointed. In the peach farm for example, they arrive there only to find an angry mob of protesters and the farmers are only
paid five cents a box for picking peaches (476). As the family is trying to hold together and continuing their quest to find a better place to settle down,
they run into a dying old man and a little boy. Despite the challenges they have been facing, the family is kind enough to stop and help the little boy
and his father. The anger and disappointment they had about California did not stop them from helping. Their unselfish actions in the last scene of the
book are a sign of hope for the future; hope that despite the dark moments there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Rose of Sharon plays an important role in the helping the dying man. When Rose of Sharon was pregnant, everyone in the family was excited for the
baby despite the problems they had. The

The Grapes of Wrath Essay
The Grapes of Wrath This event occurred in the era of the Great Depression in the United States, which was in the late 1920's and early 1930's, when
the whole nation had to go through hardships because of the scarce resources in the country. Beginning with the stock market crash of 1929, poverty
and oppression spread across the nation like a wild fire taking everyone by surprise. The Dust Bowl helped continue this movement. Many different
things caused this event. For example, when the Great Depression occurred, many peoples land were taken away leaving them penniless and forced
into poverty. In this case, the Joads were kicked off their land by the bank, which owned it because the drought from the Dust Bowl had made...show
more content...
Hoover. The people believed that it was because of him this depression was caused, so the author uses his name as one of the cities in the book
called Hooverville. It was this same city where one of the conflicts between Tom Joad and a deputy sheriff occur causing Tom to get arrested. The
author tries to tie in what is happening in the world around them into their lives. Such as the conflict in Hooverville shows the kind of efforts the
president was making for the people. On the other side of a president that people thought had disappointed them, then later came the president that
was supposed to help them with his " New Deal." This president is known as Franklin D. Roosevelt. Though he becomes president in later years at
the end of the decade that the book was written, he still is part of the era. He tried to help his people out, and doing so, you can see the slow
changes at the end of the book on how things are starting to come in to place. To get back in the story, the main Protagonist was Tom Joad because
the conflicts in the story did revolve around his life and the people in it. He basically represented the migrant workers and had a plan to organize
people to improve living conditions. He realizes the effects of capitalism and what it had done for the people on the earth. Even though it wasn't so
much a single person, but the government also did play an important role. The government portrayed as both good and evil in this book, a type of

Grapes of Wrath Essay
Grapes of Wrath
1.The protagonist of this story is Tom Joad. Tom must overcome several conflicts when he is paroled from jail and let out into an economically
depressed country. Tom's physical conflict throughout the novel is the task of surviving the horrible starving conditions of America'sGreat Depression.
He also has physical conflicts with people who only wish to destroy the hopes of migrant workers such as the police and strikebreakers. Tom's
emotional conflict deals with his inability to get good work and take care of his family. Tom had feelings of worthlessness until he decided to run away
and attempt to organize the migrant workers against the wealthy California landowners with inspiration from his close friend Jim...show more content...
3.There is one major instance of coincidence in the novel that changes Tom Joad's life and it resolves Tom's position in the story. Tom runs into Jim
Casey after Casey is out of prison. Tom finds that Casey believes he can help the migrant workers have a stronger voice by organizing everyone.
Unfortunately Jim is killed by the police. However, because of Tom's encounter with Jim he decides to take on Jim's work himself. This event is very
improbable considering the number of migrant workers in California.
4.In Grapes, suspense is added throughout the novel as the Joad family loses its members and they encounter hardships in their search of work. My
interest was not piqued beyond the point of "what happens next" in this novel. The plot and the whole story is basically all linear and easy for the
reader to follow. There are no examples of mystery but there are several instances of dilemma. The entire journey of the Joad family is based on the
harsh reality of the dust bowl during the Great Depression. This dilemma causes them to leave their home and pack their bags for California. Along
the way the family endures the loss of several members. The most notable instance of dilemma occurs when Tom Joad meets with Jim Casey and
finds that Jim is attempting to organize migrant workers against the greedy landowners. When the police show up Jim Casey is killed and Tom, in a
fit of rage, murders a police officer. This event sends Tom into

The Grapes Of Wrath: Passage Analysis
In this week's reading Acts 18:9 stood out to me. It stood out to me because the Lord actually spoke to Paul through a vision. The Lord told him
not to be afraid because He was with him and no one would attack or harm him. The idea that Paul had a vision and the Lord spoke to him doesn't
bother me as much as the Lord's actual message. So, was the Lord not with Paul before when he was attacked and nearly killed? I know He was, but I
wonder if Paul was thinking the same thing, "Gee, thanks God, glad you have my back now." I do think this passage goes to show how much things
were escalating after the conversion of Crispus. Maybe Paul was questioning whether he should stay and God knew he needed the extra encouragement
to do so.

Essay On The Grapes Of Wrath
From I to We The Great Depression was a time in history when almost everyone suffered. The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck depicts
a family, the Joads, moving to California because the bank had taken their home and land. Many families were moving away to try to find work so
that they could provide for their children. Families that were once one, later became two. The Joad family wanted to stick together because they
thought that was all they could do to get through this unpleasant situation. Anybody who had anything gave help to those in need. These times were
when the Wallaces gave Tom food and helped him find a job, when the people at the government camp gave aid to those who needed it, when Sairy
and Ivy Wilson helped the...show more content...
Mis' Joyce, you knowed that," she said sternly. "How come you let your girls git hungry?" "We ain't never took no charity," Mrs. Joyce said. "This
ain't no charity, an' you know it," Jessie raged. "We had all that out. They ain't no charity in this here camp. We won't have no charity. Now you
waltz right over an' git you some grocteries, an' you bring the slip to me" (Steinbeck 431). This paragraph shows how the government was so good
to the people who were in need of help. Those who had something, tried to help those who did not have anything. Once the family got to California,
they soon realized how few jobs were available. They went all around looking for work, but never found it. They heard about a government camp
in Weedpatch. They arrived there and found out that this is the place to be. The family went to sleep, and Tom awoke earlier than the others. He
met Timothy and Wilkie Wallace eating breakfast. They offered him some food and Tom gladly accepted. After talking for a while, the Wallace's
mentioned a job. "We're laying some pipe. 'F you want to walk over with us, maybe we can get you on" (Steinbeck 397). The Wallace's could have
easily kept the job to themselves so they would get the money, but they did not. This shows that they did what they could do for their fellow
neighbor, even when times were bad. Many families traveling to California would stop on the side of the road, a lot of times, wherever there was
water. The Joad family meet Ivy

Grapes Of Wrath Character Analysis
In novels and books, characters are faced with a challenging journey throughout life filled with obstacles and tribulations. Characters often change and
develop because of these trials and are notorious for coming out stronger in a way whether it's physically or mentally. In Steinbeck's novel The Grapes
of Wrath, Ma Joad starts out as the typical wife and mother in the 1930s, quietly in the background with an underlying strength, but as the story goes
on she develops a mental and physical backbone through the trials she faces on the road and in California and ultimately holds the most strength in
working to keep the family together. John Steinbeck builds a compelling supporting character, Ma, by using strong dialogue and descriptive...show more
content...
Ma establishes her role as a cook, thus reinforcing her moral obligation to support her family with comfort of food. Also, her obligation to act as the
cook shows her tradition to follow the old social American norm that women should stay home and cook for the men. Additionally, Ma reveals her
high moral conduct and dignity, she knows the family will have to sell their personal possessions to survive the trek to California. When the men
come back from selling the family's belongings, Ma openly displays regret, but she holds in her anger and accepts the humiliation since the family has
sold everything to find more opportunities. The inevitability that Ma's moral code has to be broken reinforces Ma as a compelling character by
demonstrating inner conflicts and emotional baggage. The road to California is a long and perilous path that brings change to the whole Joad family––
especially to Ma who develops intense strength and character along the journey by adapting to the new situation and keeping the family unified.
Before the Joads embark on their trip to California, the family has a meeting to devise a plan. The men in the family are the ones with opinion and
power, squatting and discussing with each other while Ma "took [her] [place] behind the squatting men" (108–109). She does not have a voice in any
decisions the men make about what will happen to the family–– she must comply with what the men say. However, Ma

Argumentative Essay On The Grapes Of Wrath
The States of Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma was hit by a terrible drought that was known as Dust
Bowl in 1930s to 1940s. The Dust Bowl made the farmer families in this affected States not able to pay their debts and so the government and bank
closed the family farm. The movie "The Grape of Wrath" directed by John Ford depicts the life of a family from Oklahoma that was affected by the
Dust Bowl in 1930–1940. The family left Oklahoma and moved to California which they call the promise land but when they got to California
starvation, poverty, and injustice welcomed them. The Dust Bowl in 1930s and 1940s made the people's lives miserable and made the whole country
suffer.
The movie started when Tom Joad returned to his home in Oklahoma after being in jail for homicide. On his way to see his family, he saw a
former preacher named Casey. The former preacher told and warned Tom Joad that the Dust Bowl came year after year that blown the farmer's
land, blown the crops away, and even blown the farmers. When Tom got to his family's home, his family was not there but there was a farmer who
was staying and hiding at their old house. The farmer told Tom the story on how the Dust Bowl destroyed every farmer's land, house, and life in
Oklahoma. According to the farmer, a man came one day and told the farmers to get off their house and land because a company based in Tulsa
already owns their lands. However, the farmers fought back and they stayed in their home and land because it was hard for them to leave.
Unfortunately, caterpillar tractors went to their land that is now owned by a company to tore down the farmers' houses. There were 10 to 15
families who watched their houses being dismantled by a tractor. Every farmers' family that had their home demolished had no place to live so they
were forced to stay on the road. The farmer who was staying at Tom's old house informed him that his family was staying with Tom's Uncle John.
After knowing that, Tom went to his Uncle John's house right away to visit his family. The whole family was in shocked but very happy to see Tom.
While having a meal, Uncle John read the hand bill to the family that says there are 800 workers

The Grapes Of Wrath: A Character Analysis
In the novel, there were many different people who lived through the epidemic that wiped out the world, Ish being one of them. Although the
survivors were able to live, some didn't truly live, but rather "failed" at living. Instead of continuing on after the terrible tragedy, they chose to dwell
on the past and on the fear that the Great Disaster had brought, leading to insanity and wasting their life. However, others, like Ish, were able to
survive while keeping their sanity and continuing on with life. In hard times such as these, I believe that those who are able to survive and overcome
the difficult circumstances are those who keep hope, and those who look to the future rather than dwelling on the past. When people look backward
their whole

Violence In The Grapes Of Wrath
We as Americans have seen our share of violence whether it is first hand, through the media, or in history books. We have seen the pain and struggle
that these people must go through in order to survive. This novel, The Grapes of Wrath, relates to some of the many times of violence and cruelty that
this America has seen.
During the Dust Bowl, hundreds of thousands of southerners faced many hardships, which is the basis of the novel called The Grapes of Wrath. It was
written to portray the harsh conditions during the Dust Bowl. When one considers the merit of this novel, one thinks, how can Americans treat other
Americans so horribly. After reviewing American History, the mistreatment of the "Okies" in The Grapes of Wrath can
...show more
content...
In chapter 21, the workers are in California and the mild people of California find in the Okies what they have yet to experience– fear and desperation.
Sensing the extent to which the migrants are willing to work, the locals begin to fear for their own jobs, and most importantly, for their own property.
In fearful defense, they attack the Okies as marauders who mean to destroy both populations through their desperation. This fear transforms into
hostility, which reveals itself in the story through the deputies and managers who abuse and assault the Joads, as well as other migrant families in the
workers' camps.
Throughout the novel there are several symbols used to develop the theme; man verses a hostile environment. Each symbol used in the novel show
examples of both extremes. Some represent man that struggles against the environment; others paint a clear picture of the feelings of the migrants. As
each symbol is presented chronologically through the novel, like the "turtle" at the beginning and then the "dust." They all come together at the end to
paint a clear picture of the conditions, treatment and feelings the people (migrants) as they make their journey through the novel to the West.
Violence is everywhere, more today than yesterday. We still see or hear of random acts of violence that are happening all around. Whether it be racial
or not, this violence will not

Grapes Of Wrath Essay
John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most influential books in American History, and is considered to be his best work by many.
It tells the story of one family's hardship during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. The Joads were a hard–working family with a strong
sense of togetherness and morals; they farmed their land and went about their business without bothering anyone. When the big drought came it forced
them to sell the land they had lived on since before anyone can remember. Their oldest son, Tom, has been in jail the past four years and returns to
find his childhood home abandoned. He learns his family has moved in with his uncle John and decides to travel a short distance to see them. He...show
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The bar of cold white light swung over their heads and crisscrossed the field. The hiding men could not see any movement, but they heard a car door
slam and they heard voices. "Scairt to get in the light," Muley whispered. "Once–twice I've took a shot at the headlights. That keeps Willy careful. He
got somebody with 'im tonight." They heard footsteps on wood, and then from inside the house they saw the glow of a flashlight. "Shall I shoot
through the house?" Muley whispered. "They couldn't see where it come from. Give 'em sompin to think about." (80)
The Grapes of Wrath is two intertwined stories. One of the Joad family and their personal struggles, and the other of the greater effect of the Dust
Bowl and depression on the massive amounts of people like the Joads. He trades off each chapter, one chapter telling the story of the Joads and the
next talking about the migrants. He uses the Joads to bring the story home to the reader, defeating the myth about the Okies. That myth being, as put
by a service station attendant, "They ain't human." (301) Throughout the novel Steinbeck goes to prove that the Joads are perhaps the most humane
people out there. As the story progresses the Joads progress as well, from only being concerned with their own personal welfare and living to being
aware of injustice towards everyone like them. This is accompanied by the disintegration of the smaller family unit, which is replaced by the larger
world family

The Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis

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The Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis