The Turtle as Symbol in The Grapes of Wrath

A detailed Summary of The Turtle as Symbol in The Grapes of Wrath


In this intercalary chapter, John Steinbeck calls upon one of Nature's most well adapted creatures to represent not only Tom Joad and the entire Joad family, but in a much larger sense, to symbolize the entire family of mankind as he struggles to eke out and existence in a world filled with obstacles.

Nature has equipped the land turtle with exactly what it needs for basic survival; however, the obstacles by humans push him to his limits. Steinbeck points that the turtle can endure by showing the turtle's ability to crush the red ant. Steinbeck also portrays the obstacles faced by the turtle by stating "The barley beards slid off his shell, and the clover burrs fell on him and rolled to the ground" (20). However, Steinbeck shows how th


Steinbeck's symbol is especially well chosen because it represents the struggle of mankind itself as it seeks to survive in a world where the obstacles become more and more complex. Like the turtle, everybody encounters problems throughout life. Also, everybody finds a way to resolve them. We, as humans, face situations repeatedly that seem impossible to overcome. However, we, like the turtle, manage to pull ourselves over. Humans just have to strive to prevail over our obstacles no matter how hard it may seem or how long it may take. The turtle struggles long and hard to pull himself over, and no matter how impossible it seemed, he succeeded.

Steinbeck draws a large analogy in the third chapter. He exhibits that the struggles wi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ma Granma, Tom Joad, Joad Joad, John Steinbeck, California Granma, steinbeck turtle, , joad family, tom joad, turtle endure, turtle struggles, push limits,

Approximate Word count 500
Approximate Pages 2 250 words per page double spaced

Category: English

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