Grapes Of Wrath Research Paper

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.

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.

The 1930’s era was an incredibly tumultuous time for the United States. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Dust Bowl exacerbated the already high tensions between the rich and the poor. These tensions were also present and becoming a growing problem within the justice system of this era. As the country plunged into the depths of the Depression, the poor treatment of men and women imprisoned within the country’s jails deteriorated as well. The Dust Bowl along with the economic conditions the country, at the time led to the disparate treatment of prisoners at this time. Prejudices against certain groups of people during this time were very strong. This prejudice was demonstrated in John Steinbeck’s, The Grapes of Wrath, especially

Many devastating events occurred during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. In The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, these injustices are outlined through the Joad Family’s migration to California. Steinbeck focuses on a key theme in Chapter five, the inability to escape hardship during the time of the Dust Bowl. Farmers, friends, and owners got caught in something much larger than themselves known as the “Monster”.

The Grapes of Wrath is set in the horrible stage of our American history, the Depression. Economic, social, and historical surroundings separate the common man of America into basically the rich and poor. A basic theme is that man turns against one another in a selfish pride to only protect themselves. For example, the landowners create a system in which migrants are treated like animals and pushed along from one roadside camp to the next. They are denied decent wages and forced to turn against their fellow scramblers to simply survive.

The arrival of these newcomers evoked a complex response from the "natives" already living there. Many Americans reacted with anxiety and hostility to the staggering

In the epic movie Grapes of Wrath, director John Ford depicted a saga of one family trying to survive the 1930’s. In watching this film, it helped me to understand the hardships of the American migrants. The characters showed unique traits and dealt with problems each in a different way.The Dust Bowl was an ecological and human disaster that took place in the southwestern Great Plains region, including Oklahoma. Misuse of land and years of sustained drought caused it. Millions of acres of farmland became useless, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes --many migrated to California.

Thesis (Universal theme + supporting points): Claim Statement #1: Casy approached Ma and Tom and asks them if he can come along with the Joads. The narrator describes the reaction of Ma: “Ma looked to Tom to speak, because he was man, but Tom did not speak. She let him have the chance that was his right” (Steinbeck 93-94). When Casy asks Ma and Tom if he can join them on the journey to California, Ma expects Tom to speak because he is a man. Patriarchy is when men hold the power and exclude women from it.

Many immigrants came to America seeking freedom, jobs, and land while others were running from famine and war. While immigrants ran from the problems of their native land, they were running into new problems in America. Americans feared the immigrants would take their jobs or have the right to vote. This fear caused discrimination against the immigrants due to their diverse backgrounds from Germany, Ireland, and China. Immigrants that came to America faced the hardship of discrimination because they did not only stand out with their culture but also because Americans didn’t necessarily want them in America.

These immigrants moved for a better lifestyle and get away from their corrupted countries. But however, found life just as hard as they were very poor and didn’t have much. Also, they thought it

Immigrants came over in the late 19th century through the 20th century looking for the american dream. Their reality was cruel and cold. They lived in a broken down house with no electric and no running water for most. Food was hard to get, especially when taking care of a family. They had to work and work just to get a “half dollar a day”. They worked in the mills and hustled on streets just to bring

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

The American dream,

Literature Shifts Society’s Values Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath novel takes place in the late 1930’s during The Great Depression. Steinbeck is very much detailed throughout the book because of personal experience. This novel is about the journey of tenant farmer families moving from the “Dust Bowls” of Oklahoma to the promised work land of California. Work was advertised by flyers that were later found to be false. Steinbeck attracts the reader from page 1 by starting the novel with a disastrous situation on a farm, foreshadowing misery throughout.

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