Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis

“I want you to stay with me Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself.” The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shows the relationship between two migrant workers in the 1930s, George and Lennie, along with the other members on the new ranch that they began working on. Georgie and Lennie dreamed of following the American Dream and owning their own patch of land and the novel revolves around the dream and the obstacles that stand in their way. Lennie, a strong but mentally ill person, who accompanies George, eventually makes George think about how much easier the dream could be achieved without Lennie, eventually leading to the downfall of their friendship. The novel shows what it means to be human

The tone of this story seems to portray Granny’s bitterness, which is seen during a part of her consciousness when she hears her daughter and the doctor whispering, “Wait, wait, Cornelia,

Meanwhile, in OMM Steinbeck recognises companionship as being an important aspect in the pursuit of the American Dream. The strength of friendship encourages George and Lennie to strive for their vision of land ownership and is what many characters in the novella desire. They ‘got a future ’due to their ‘fambly’ bond and the support they have for each other. This contrasts the isolation of other ranchers in the society alluded by the Spanish derivative of Soledad meaning ‘loneliness’. Candy, exploited by his boss, lacks security and hope, and the death of his dog symbolises his fate. However, having joined George and Lennie, his hopes in life are reignited and his change is depicted emotively by Steibeck as he becomes ‘keen’ and ‘excited’. Steinbeck, through emotive language and colloquialism, expresses Crooks inner feelings of loneliness and his need of friends as he describes that a person ‘gets sick’ and ‘goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody’ and reminisces the company of his siblings. Crooks enjoys talking to Lennie and in this way, Steinbeck portrays the importance of the Dream of companionship in providing hope and happiness to the minorities of the society.

‘..Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world they got no family they don’t belong no place.’ This is what many felt during the ‘great depression’ in the 1930’s. John Steinbeck gives us the sense that many felt lonely ‘they got no family they don’t belong no place. The main theme of this novel is alienation; the three characters, Curley’s wife, candy, and crooks are all alienated, and felt it by another person at some point. They all have dreams... it’s the American dream... but not all dreams come true...

In the weathered cornfields of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, where everything has been destroyed by recent years of harsh weather, the author, John Steinbech, paints a very descriptive picture; he describes the land as been filled with thick dust causing the farmers to wear their handkerchiefs over the mouths and noses. The dust is so thick that at night it blocks out the stars. In a region of the country that once possessed laughter, love, and crop growth is now filled with tears, sadness, and dying corn. Now, most local families are scrounging to survive. The economic downfall of the nineteen-thirties forces migrants to move westbound to California, setting vagrants against local people and landowners against the poor. Farmers forced off their land by bankers causes finger pointing all around and in some sense makes everyone a victim; the farmers blame the landowners, yet the landowners are people too and need revenue to pay the bank representatives and therefore, they blame the bank representatives. The bank representatives are trying to earn a living too, so they in-turn blame the next hierarchy and so forth. The Dust Bowl economic tragedy has divided the rich from the poor, and upper class form lower. Steinbech toggles between different points of views to ensure all viewpoints are captured. The Joads assume the position of the typical individual displaced and through them, Steinbeck words are visualized by the reader.

Steinbeck provides insight in the interests of countless characters, including but not limited to Frankie, a mentally handicapped child, Gay, a man who is beaten by his wife during his sleep, and Dora Flood, madam at the Bear Flag Restaurant. Some of their stories make up a paragraph or even a chapter or two, yet none are essential in furthering the plot. By giving each character a chance to show who they are or where they came from, Steinbeck turns his fictional portrayal of the world into a realistic one. As a result, the story becomes more truthful, which in turn allows Steinbeck to project a magnified image of life’s intricacies. For example, after the death of Horace Abbeville, he shows self-awareness, saying “And although it has nothing to do with this story, no Abbeville child, no matter who its mother was, knew the lack of a stick of spearmint ever afterward” (8). This line is especially significant because it represents the whole novel. None of these little stories accelerated the plot. None of them really had any reason to be included in the story, yet they were still necessary anyway because Steinbeck was not just writing a simple novel, he was painting a picture of life itself. In his brief sentences, paragraphs, and the occasional chapter of

Steinbeck’s theme holds true as the shopkeeper started his thoughts from himself to that of sympathy for Ma and the family. Even when he feared the loss of his only supply of money he took the chance to help

George is emotionally burdened as his poverty combined with the added responsibility of being Lennie’s constant companion for the purpose of support and guidance cause him to miss employment opportunities, which are given to those of a higher social standing. George’s careless yet protective attitude highlights his initial response to societal marginalization when he states; “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble . . . You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time . . . You do bad things and I got to get you out” (Steinbeck 11). A thematic connection to justice becomes evident as George is characteristically kind-hearted in nature and places a high value on human livelihood which demonstrates his increasing level of resiliency as he protects Lennie from characters such as Curley. Being a symbol of social justice, George’s character reinforces the concept of societal change and social

The book begins with Joad being released from jail on parole after being arrested for homicide 4 years prior. When released, he immediately journeys back to his home, running into former preacher, Jim Casey along the way. Casey, out of a job for having inappropriate relations, decides to travel with Tom and they head for Tom’s Uncle John’s house. Upon reaching the destination, they see the aftermath of the Dust Bowl, and find that Ma and Pa have made plans to move to

John Steinbeck, an American author, wrote “The Grapes of Wrath” a story set in the late 1930s. The story tells about a disastrous drought of the 1930s that forced farmers to migrate to California. This story is exhibiting the strength and survival methods that the characters had to go through to be prosperous in the 1930s. The thirties were called the Dust Bowl era and another name for it was the Dirty Thirties. It was a period of time when there were dust storms and severe droughts. In this time it was extremely hard for farmers to plant their crops because of the cracked, dry soil.

“I promise, Grandpa. I’ll never lose it. I promise, pinky promise you,” she said, “I love you, and you will forever be in my heart.”

“Grandpa, when are we going to leave?” One day I asked my grandpa on the dining

“It is okay, my child.” My grandmother then said to her having cut her off mid-sentence. “I like having visitors, and I so rarely have any anymore. Come... Come in, welcome to my

When Grandma is placed in the sand by her relatives, she rejects such cruelty and continues her derision and ridicule of Mommy and Daddy, saying what she feels about her rejection of

"Why did it take me forever to teach you and you still don 't get it?" I yelled at my grandmother, lashing out my accumulated impatience and anger. She left the room silently; she shut the door gently; she looked at me like she had committed an unforgivable crime.