Grapes Of Wrath Feminist Analysis

Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, many concepts appear that were noted in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. However, the three chapters of Foster’s how-to guide that most apply to Steinbeck’s novel were “It’s All About Sex…,” “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),” and “It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow.” On more than one occasion these concepts are hidden within the book, and two of them actually seem somewhat linked together. After reading between the lines, The Grapes of Wrath has an extremely intricate plot and many ulterior meanings. Foster’s book helps to solve these meanings and make it so that the novel can be completely understood.

Rose of Sharon realizes this man will die without her, in the same way Christ said that

These attitudes got worse once Connie explained how he would study at night to earn a living. This made Rose of Sharon want to leave the family and go with Connie to start a family, after the baby was born. This quote shows that Rose of Sharon has become even more self-centered, and that Ma does not think Connie will become anything, “Connie’s got a new plan. He’s thinkin’ all the time… Connie’s thinkin’ all a time, better get some rest now” (p.290). After Connie then runs away from the family, Rose of Sharon mopes in her own self-pity, and makes everyone feel bad for her. As the novel progresses to the times after she is left, her attitude is completely about herself, with little care for the family’s well-being. This is the pinnacle of her selfishness, and it takes for the family to get rained in during the final chapters of the novel for her to make a full

Throughout the novel, the only other being that Rose of Sharon shows any concern towards besides herself is her unborn child. When the truck startles her, she worries about the baby. When the pious lunatic, Mrs. Sandry, warns her about what the effects of sinning could do to her baby, she worries again. And when Connie leaves, she is forced to face the harsh reality of the immense responsibility of a baby, which causes her to fret even more. So when the baby is delivered stillborn in Chapter 30, even the least empathetic reader feels slight pity for her. But despite the tragic loss for Rose of Sharon, the baby’s death is necessary for it to serve as a symbolic element that embody the struggle of those like the Joads. After the baby is delivered, Uncle John gets the responsibility of getting rid of the corpse. This task proves to be difficult as the rain prevents the ground of being capable of any type of digging or burying, so Uncle John floats the baby down the river. This act alludes to the floating of baby Moses down the river, despite that Moses was alive when this occurred. Moses grows and later goes on to speak of the struggling of his people, just as Uncle John tells the dead infant as he floats it down the river “Go down an’ tell ‘em. Go down in the street an’ rot an’ tell ‘em that way. Maybe they’ll know then” (Steinbeck 448). Both figures represent the hardships that their people face; Moses’ people being the Israelites and the dead baby’s being all those poor and struggling to get by during the Depression. By relating these two figures with their similar stories and purposes, and using Rose of Sharon’s child’s death to bring awareness to the struggle of the Joads and those similar to them, Steinbeck proves that hope can come from

hardship out of anyone. She has a still-born baby. This was the one thing in Rose of Sharon?s

Rose is unable to fully accept herself or the statements made by her mother throughout the chapter, until she reflects back on her relationship and realizes how her mother predicted this by the condition of the garden taken care of by her husband. She understands her mother finally and stands up to Ted, explaining to him how she was going to fight for everything in the divorce.

Well come on…I’ll make a batch of biscuits,” (26). Rose steadily tries to be the best mother that she can be for the Maxson family and not just take care of herself. She represents the primary care giver of the Maxson household by cooking for everybody and bringing the whole family in together to eat. “Okay, Troy…you’re right. I’ll take care of your baby for you…cause…like you say…she’s innocent…and you can’t visit the sins of the father upon the child. A motherless child has got a hard time,” (79). By Rose saying and doing this, it just proves how loving and tender hearted she is. Even though Rose is not the child’s mother, she still wants what is best for the baby. “Stop that yelling. You gonna wake up Raynell. I just got her to sleep,” (80). This shows that Rose has fully accepted Raynell as her daughter. Rose does not see Raynell as just Troy’s daughter but also hers too. Rose says, talking about Lyons, “Let the boy have ten dollars, Troy,” (19). This shows how loving and caring Rose acts towards Troy’s son. Rose and Troy clearly do not have enough money to be giving it out, but she encourages Troy to give some to Lyons because she cares about everyone. Rose is a very good hearted person who uses all of her characterisitcs to keep everyone in the family together and keep them in check.

“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.

To begin, the novel starts with Rose of Sharon as a happily married young woman. She is pregnant and she is very excited for the foreseeable future to come. Rose of Sharon is very naive to the harsh reality of her family’s situation; the family is being kicked out of their land and must find new work. “And the world was pregnant to her; she thought only in terms of reproduction and of motherhood” (p. 130). Clearly Rose of Sharon was only focused on her child

After the birth of her stillborn child Rose starts to concern that everything that happens to the

When first introduced to Rose of Sharon, it is chapter 10, and the family is getting ready to leave behind their land and home in hopes for a better life in California. First, Rose of Sharon is described as “pregnant and careful” (Steinbeck 95). Steinbeck also hints at the fact she is very focused on her pregnancy at this time when he writes “Her whole thought and action were directed inward on the baby” (Steinbeck 95). Already with evidence from the author, one can see she is self-involved and not interested in family matters.

In the last chapter of the book, the family finds shelter from a storm in an old barn, where they find an old man dying of starvation and his young son beside him. Ma exchanges a look of meaning with Rosasharn, and she knows that Rosasharn understands what she must do. To save the old man from death, Rosasharn does something both brave and selfless, and has the old man suckles the milk that would have otherwise gone to her dead baby. This is where Rose of Sharon truly grows up, for when one is in need she is able to put others before herself and give life to someone in

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 20th century, the average home life in rural Oklahoma was full of hard workers in the pursuit of the picture-perfect home surrounded by plentiful land. The sun rose over the land, signaling the commencement of the day ahead. The farmer had already been awake since before the sun broke the horizon, preparing his little equipment and his animals for his land’s work. The farmer’s wife was in the kitchen, cooking her husband a warm breakfast as a sign of her gratitude. Their children woke and soon were running into the kitchen, bellies growling. After gobbling up the breakfast, they ran outside to play and do chores of their own. The rest of the farmer’s wife’s day was spent cleaning, cooking, and looking after the kids until the sun went down and it was time for bed. Set in this time, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, holds contrasting female characters. Some characters show the defiance of the gender roles at the time, while others adhere to them. In some instances, a female character can surpass the expectations set upon her by the patriarchal society in which they live she lives, setting her free to use a voice she never was allowed.

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