Grapes of Wrath
To achieve an even greater sense of understanding for their novels, many writers parallel their stories with the Bible. The Grapes of Wrath, which summed up the despair and hardships of the early 1930's for many Americans, follows this form as well. The Grapes of Wrath is a story about 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; they farmed their land and went about their business without bothering anyone. During the Great Depression, a widespread drought hit the Joads' homeland and they were forced to sell the land they had farmed for generations. Steinbeck begins the novel with a sort of "Prodigal Son"-type return of one of the Joads. The oldest son, Tom, had been in jail the past four years and is paroled. When he returns, he finds his childhood home abandoned. He learns his family has moved in with his Uncle John and he decides to travel 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
Through extensive Biblical reference, Steinbeck helps his story appeal to a much wider audience than if there were no such parallels. When writing, Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck knew he was on the verge of creating a classic, which would stand the test of time. However, he feared he was not going about it the right was and questioned whether the novel would be a success at all. Much to his delight and the delight of millions, possibly even billions of readers around the world, The Grapes of Wrath is considered my many to be one of the best works of American literature. Its universal appeal to the plight of the poor helps it stand the test of time and remain a classic. The novel is broken up into three distinct sections. The first part is the Joad's eviction from their farms under the control of the banks and companies, which is akin the Israelites' slavery to the Egyptians. Both groups struggled under the control of overwhelming forces and left in hopes of a better life. The second part is the Joad's journey from Oklahoma across the Panhandle in search of the promised California that is much like the Israelites wandering in the desert in search of the Promised Land. Both groups experienced many troubles, but were forced to rely on each other to survive. The third part is the Joad's arrival to California, which parallels the Israelites arrival to Canaan. The journey for the Israelites lasted so many years that only the younger generation made it to the Promised Land. In the same way, Grandma and Grandpa died before they reached the promised California. The flood at the end of the novel is another example of a Biblical allusion used by Steinbeck. This s
Some common words found in the essay are:
Rose Sharon, Grapes Wrath, Uncle John, Jesus Christ, American History, Joads Wainwrights, Christ Casy, Dust Bowl, Egypt Canaan, Promised Land, grapes wrath, rose sharon, biblical allusion, stand test, joad family, promised california, search promised, promised land,
Approximate Word count = 1128
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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