Christianity In Joh John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

Much of the existing critical discussion of The Grapes of Wrath has focused on the pervasive Judeo-Christian symbolism of the work, particularly

The novel The Grapes of Wrath is in many ways a one-of-a-kind piece of literature. This work is set up unlike any other book, written in a series of chapters and inter-chapters, which do a remarkable job of informing the reader of the travels the characters in the book are going through. Not only does the story focus on the problems one family goes through, but explains the problem is happening to many more civilians than the story focus's on. Steinbeck does not leave out a single detail about the Joad family and their journey to California, and that in itself is what makes his writing so entertaining. Not only is this a very powerful topic to write about, but the remarkable writing style of author John Steinbeck makes this book a

Wrath, oh the feeling……”I HATE YOU!” You make me so mad I could just, I could JUST…...Those are examples of wrath, or pure hatred inside a human-being. Wrath can be caused by an assortment of things, mental issues, grief, misunderstandings, and relationship failures, just to name a few. These feelings are a deadly sin mentioned in the Bible, for it says love is the answer to overcoming wrath. During my personal experiences, I too must sadly admit to being caught in the beginning stages of this sin. In modern society today, anger is the first and “easiest” emotion to go to and it always ends up backstabbing you. The pathetic thing is that a majority of this generation doesn’t even consider God in their minds…..especially when the Bible speaks of forgiveness. Wrath can also be directed from parents towards their own children. What has a child

Steinbeck exploits a disturbing and melancholy tone in The Grapes of Wrath in order to describe the desolation and destitution of California, once the Joad family arrives. A majority of the novel supports Steinbeck’s disturbing tone, especially with the novel set during the Great Depression; moreover, the setting of the novel proves parallel with Steinbeck’s disturbing tone. Many families traveled to California in attempts to begin a better life; however, many of the migrants discovered that California’s lifestyle did not meet any of the expectation many of the families had. The poverty, low wages, and unemployment that the Okies faced in California proved disappointing, and Steinbeck continually illustrates the struggles the Okies face to

The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a story that construes the journey of the Joad family through the brutal migration from Oklahoma 's destroying Dust Bowl to California corrupt promised land. Through the depiction of events and portrayal of characters, the bible takes part in the novel as one whole allusion. The anecdote of the struggle for survival in the fallen state of Oklahoma and in the “promised land” of California, reveals the same ideas shown as we explore in the bible. In The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck integrates the allegory of biblical references and values to create the image of a family’s journey to California during the Dust Bowl of the early 1900s.

How many different ways can any one given concept be interpreted, and what are the factors in how that concept is interpreted? As we know, there are countless types of people in the world, so how can it be expected that everyone defines the same phrases the same way? It would bank on the age, sex, gender, lifestyle, history and character of each individual. John Steinbeck understands these two concepts very differently than myself or society as a whole.

In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck depicts the stories of migrant families during the Dust Bowl, where dust covered plantations, resulting in barren fields with incapabilities to grow crops. Due to barren lands, landowners forced the farmers off the fields, which causes the farmers to lose all of the reasons to stay. Therefore, the farmers set out onto a new journey that will hopefully lead them to a place where life can restart. However, this journey is not a perfectly smooth path; on the journey, the farmers face various adversities. Out of the countless families, John Steinbeck highlights the Joad family, who suffers through numerous misfortunes on the way West, toward California. Through the Joad family, Steinbeck portrays the novel as a form of social protest by emphasizing the unjust treatments the families receive , the deterioration of the false allusions the families hold of the American Dream, and by suggesting a future revolt of the working class.

In his novel Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck integrated many biblical references and values throughout the book. This provided a more intriguing and complex style of writing that he used to tell about the Dust Bowl of the early 1900’s and the arduous journey the Joad family and many others took to reach California.

John Steinbeck’s primary focus in the majority of his literary pieces is religion. The religious aspects of his stories are primarily shown through subtle connections to Biblical characters along with other hints. The most prominent piece of literature that displays religious connections is his novel The Grapes of Wrath. For the duration of the story, religion helps sustain the characters of the novel from difficult times. His novel contains numerous Biblical references that are conveyed through the characters of the Joad family along with Jim Casy; Steinbeck wants his audience to understand the plot development’s relation to religion which is shown through the character’s concern with spirituality as they endure the struggles of the Great

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck evolves around the Bible about Jesus Christ, the mother nature, and Rose of Sharon. With Jesus Christ, Steinbeck refers to one of the characters named Jim Casey to give him qualities of sacrifice and faith that encourages the Joad family to continue in their journey. Secondly, the mother nature plays an important role throughout the entire text by constantly driving the families to a new place with the Dust Bowl and the flood. Lastly, Rose of Sharon reflects an unknown identity of a flower from the Bible since Steinbeck builds on to the character of a naive and immature child into a sophisticated mother. Including these allusions to the novel deepens the meaning of the text itself and gives a whole range of perspectives for the readers to develop while reading the novel. With the biblical allusions, Steinbeck’s writing formulates series of questions inside a reader’s mind that seems to go on round and round like a

The Grapes of Wrath has become one of America’s most popular and influential novel. Throughout the story, Steinbeck's purpose of showing to his audience the struggles people had to go through during the Depression. Steinbeck’s use of rhetorical devices are able to bring in outside information that he learned to make this novel and intertwine it with a story plot that shocked America. Steinbeck shows us his purpose throughout the novel Steinbeck used the devices of juxtaposition, pathos, and a variety of prose styles to emphasize his purpose and to bring the story of a family moving west to life. One technique used to separate the parts of the novel is juxtaposition.

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

In the novel Grapes of Wrath by John Stienbeck, there are many pessimistic actions, events, characters, symbols, and themes that the Joad family encounters on their move from Oklahoma to California in search of work during the Dust Bowl migration. However, for the reader there is much more to this novel than just the pessimistic side. In order to find the optimistic side of the novel and the signs of hope that occur within, the reader must go beyond the surface level of the pessimistic side and discover the many signs of hope that are found within the dark times. Once this is accomplished, the reader is able to clearly see many signs of hope, including moving families, work, and the state of California, which outweigh the pessimistic portion of the novel and reassure the reader that humanity’s ongoing struggle with adversity will be successful.

Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath follows a tripartite structure where Oklahoma behaves as the first part, life on the road makes up the second, and the family finally arriving in California is the final section. Frank Eguene Cruz reworked the structure into three main divisions of “homes lost, homes hoped for, and temporary homes (or camps) established in between.” The Joads referred to certain historical and mythologized events that happened in their original home to construct their identity. When the tenants in Chapter Five cry out that “Grandpa killed Indians” for the land and how they were “born on it…killed on it, (and had even) died on it” emphasizes that these historical ties are crucial in maintaining the tenant’s identity. The tenants

“They had no argument, no system, nothing but their numbers and their needs. When there was work for a man, ten men fought for it – fought with a low wage. If that fella’ll work for thirty cents, I’ll work for twenty-five”(Steinbeck). The renowned novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a realistic portrayal of life and social conditions during the 30’s when the Dust Bowl swept across the nation, causing many to fall deeper into the depression. This caused many families to leave their homes in search of a safer and more hopeful land. The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad, his family, and many other migrant farmers as they migrate from their Oklahoma farms into their new, hope filled life in California. The struggles that these characters endure