Analysis Of Jacob In The Grapes Of Wrath

Meals in works of literature have always had a special connotation, they can be used by the author to relay information about the plot, the characters, or even the setting. John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath for example, The Joad family eats with other families affected by the Dust Bowl. Despite the families not knowing each other very well there is still that sense of communion because they are all suffering through the same thing, and they are doing it together. Even if the families are barely surviving themselves, they are still able to help out anyone that needs it, even if it means sacrificing a lot themselves. All of the "Okies" stick together despite the hardships.

When you think of the word end you think of the end of a book or movie when the true definition is “a final part of something, esp. a period of time, an activity, or a story” or “

The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, is considered by many to be the hallmark of American literature. It covers the journey of the Joad family as they stick together through one of the harshest eras in American history, the Great Depression. The structure of the Joad’s narrative is interspersed by smaller, highly descriptive interchapters, which sets the novel apart from other classics in its ability to make the reader understand and relate to the Joads and everything they went through. The detailed, impactful vignettes foreshadow problems the Joads have to overcome and the overview descriptions in the vignettes contrast with the specificities of the Joad’s story. They contain Biblical allusions, colorful descriptions, and objects that can interact with the main characters later in the narrative. Through the use of imagery and diction, the vignettes make Steinbeck’s message more impactful and meaningful.

“At the heart of every immigrant’s experience is a dream- a vision of hope that is embodied in his or her destination” (Gladstein 685). In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath the migrants imagined the absolute aspects of living care free to the west. However, everything changed once they traveled to the west, realizing the simple concept turned into hazardous problems. John Steinback emphasized the American dream of economic stability and truculent situations towards the Joads family's point of view. Throughout the immigration, the Joads family goes through constant and unpredictable changes in employment, and their eventual failure to find success in California. The novel has been called by critics "a celebration of the human spirit", in several ways it is true due to the aspects of human nature. Despite the hazardous actions people can do, it is important to realize everything around us.

The Grapes of Wrath introduces new characters in chapter four. The characters can easily be related to every day lives, including our own. The character that can be connected most with myself is the turtle. Constantly, I feel I am never noticed and I am just kicked around by people every day. Some people notice me, but only get out of my way instead of offering their help. Some people target me as a way to prove they are larger than me. They swerve towards me to injure me or scare me. Steinbeck's ultimate goal is to make the reader sympathize with the turtle. The turtle is a helpless creature who is abandoned on the road, and the most care he gets from any passing drive is just an attempt to not hit the turtle. Tom Joad comes along

The cold, soaked earth, which was a source of life not too long ago, abducts a young child while the mother can only watch hopelessly as the husband shovels mounds of dirt. This event is not too different than most that citizens living during the Dust Bowl had to deal with. The self-destructive nature caused the American people to keep expanding and shaping the land as they saw fit. Because of this they overworked the land which, combined with drought, caused the Dust Bowl. The big corporations soon bought out most of the land in the Mid-West and many families were soon forced to make their living by other means. The shift of these families out west to a limited number of jobs

1-1. “Before me and Neeka started asking D about her life, we were erasers too—she got to step into our world, with all the trees and mamas calling from windows and kids playing on the block, and forget.” (18)

Walls starts the memoir off with vivid imagery to depict how her mom is homeless, and has to pick through the trash instead of buying what she needs from a store. This quotation describes what little she wears and the (most likely stray) dog by her side.

As I started to read chapter one I was thinking “This is going to be so boring” but I just kinda had to get more into. And as I was in the middle of chapter one I was expecting Jody to come home from school and everything was going to be all happy and joyful, of course that wasn’t going to happen it’s too easy. So when Gabilan died, I think Jody over reacted, I mean, yeah I get it he’s sad and everything but he didn’t need to kill other animals. And I was kinda shocked when the chapter ended like that. I was hoping that something else would happen.

third boycott, named the “Wrath of Grapes” (a play on a book title about farm workers published in 1939), which was meant to protest the use of toxic pesticides. In 1986, Chavez traveled across the country presenting his “Wrath of Grapes” speech hoping that people would act to correct this atrocity. (Morales & Cisneros,1996 3:00 - 50:00)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck uses numerous literary techniques to advocate for change in the social and political attitudes of the Dust Bowl era. Simile, personification, and imagery are among the many devices that add to the novel’s ability to influence the audience’s views. Moreover, through his use of detail, Steinbeck is able to develop a strong bond between the reader and the Joad clan. This bond that is created evokes empathy from the audience towards the Joads as they face numerous challenges along their journey. The chapters go between the Joad’s story and a broad perspective of the Dust Bowl’s effect on the lives of Mid-western farmers in which Steinbeck illustrates dust storms devastating the land, banks evicting tenant

Robert was another friend that Ben had made while working for General Motors. Ben discussed how he and Robert had many things in common. For instance, Ben stated “His forefathers, like mine, had drifted into this moron dragnet lookin’ for steady work and a pocketful of beer change.” (Hamper pg. 53). This is important because, again Ben is showing that they have bonded over personal information rather than how well they do their jobs. Once again, this is away of showing that they respect each other’s individuality by sharing information about each other. When you share information about yourself to someone else you are telling them more about you as a person, not a worker. Ben also goes on to discuss different parts of Robert’s life. For example,

This passage shows how partaking in war and hate are often imposed, not voluntary. As Elisha grows more anxious of having to kill John Dawson, Ilana reminds him of the role he must play in this war. “The fear of either the victim or the executioner is unimportant. What matters is the fact that each of them is playing a role that has been imposed upon them” (Wiesel, 141). Although Elisha fears killing John Dawson, he must not consider his emotions because war requires one to play a role- not to see the humanity in another person. Oftentimes, those who partake in a war or hate others aren't acting on their own volition, rather they are playing a role that was forced upon them.

The Dust Bowl, a series of severe dust storms in the 1930’s, left the southern plains of the United States as a wasteland. The storms occurred due to the lack of use of dryland farming techniques to prevent wind erosion. Powerful winds would pick up loose soil and carry the sediment around the countryside. Called “black blizzard” or “black rollers”, these storms had the potential to black out the sky completely. Due to the inability to grow and sell crops, banks evicted families and foreclosed their properties, leaving them homeless and without an income. The author of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, wrote his American realist novel to allow readers to understand the experiences of the migrants from the Dust Bowl era. Not many

As a child, Jacob Portman loved to listen to his grandfather Abraham’s stories about his life in wars, his performances in circuses, and his life in a supposedly peculiar children's home run by a wise old hawk who smoked a pipe. As he grew older, though, he began to doubt his grandfather’s stories, until one day he went to visit his grandfather, and instead found him dying in the woods near his home. His dying grandfather tells him to go to the old children’s home and to “‘Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave…’” (page 37). Jacob feels something watching him, and raises his flashlight to reveal a beast that seemed to have been translated directly from his childhood nightmares. After his grandfather’s death, no one seems to believe Jacob’s story and his parents decide to send him to a psychiatrist, named Dr. Golan. Dr. Golan believes it would be best for Jacob to do as his late grandfather said and to visit the old children's’ home. Jacob and his father decide to go to the island, but later Jacob finds the house long deserted, covered in vines and trees.