Grapes of Wrath
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 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 co
argue for a higher price with a grin, knowing they will take whatever is offered. They simply can't afford not to, they must sell their things, and they can't take them west and desperately need the money. unknowingly gave its life in return for saving that of another. The last major point of symbolism in the book is shown in Rosasharn's baby. The baby comes to symbolize death, but at the same time, life. It is a stillborn, never once took a breath to live, which was the hardest death for the family to deal with, the one that never lived. At the same time, it is a blessing in disguise. Shortly after this occurs there is a great and steady rain, which the Joads seek shelter from in an abandoned barn. Upon entering they discover a young boy and his father in the corner, the boy informs them that his father is starving to death and cannot keep food down. He is desperate for milk and wonders if they had any money to spare in which to buy some. Upon hearing this Ma and Rosasharn exchange a knowing look. Ma takes the rest of the family out to a tool shed and leaves Rosasharn with the old man. Rosasharn proceeds to give the man the life-giving milk that he so desperately needs and her baby did not live to put use to. In doing this her baby! be the fambly that was fust. It ain't so now. It's anybody. Worse off we get, the more we got to do." (606) and leading people in revolt, as well as sacrificing himself for Tom and the Joad family supports this belief well. He also had a follower, or disciple in Tom, who after Casy's death decides to leave the family to carry on his message. om Joad. When he first is released from prison his only concern is going home, returning to his old lifestyle, catching up on lost time and having some fun. As he learns about the journey west his first priority becomes his family, and Steinbeck uses this novel as a warning to large landowners as well as the government during the depression. There was a great injustice being done to these people and it wouldn't be long before they did something about it. You cannot suppress a large group of society for an extended amount of time without there being an uprising against it. He states this in chapter nineteen, and for once doesn't use There is a lot of symbolism throughout The Grapes of Wrath, in the form of events or even in the characters themselves. The first noticeable use of this is in chapter three, with a turtle who is simply trying to get to the end of a road. He slowly plods along in the heat, never stopping in his journey, although he is faced with many obstacles. A car whizzes by, barely nicking him and sending him skidding across the road with his shell overturned. Once the danger is past he emerges from his shell and continues on, only to be picked up by Tom Joad, who carries him for a distance with the intention of giving him to Winfield as a present. Naturally this is not in the turtle's plans, but he tolerates it and once set down by Tom, works his way free of the jacket that restrained him and slowly makes his way back towards his goal. This is symbolic of the Joad's journey to California, with all the hardships they faced. ittle girl plaiting the forelocks, taking off her hair ribbon to make bows, standing back, head cocked, rubbing the soft noses with her cheek. You're buying years of work, toil in the sun; you're buying a sorrow that can't talk. But watch it, mister. There's a premium goes with this pile of junk and the bay horses - so beautiful - a packet of bitterness to grow in your house and to flower, some day. We co
Some common words found in the essay are:
Ma Joad, Dust Bowl, Rosasharn Rosasharn, Christ I'd, Casy Comes, Grapes Wrath, Tom Casy's, Winfield Naturally, I'll Casy, Once-twice I've, you're buying, joad family, grapes wrath, restaurant owner waitress, poor desperate, muley whispered, dust bowl, novel steinbeck, owners hated, okies hungry, throughout novel,
Approximate Word count = 2416
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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