Grapes Of Wrath Transcendentalism 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.

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

The dust bowl was a tragic time in America for so many families and John Steinbeck does a great job at getting up-close and personal with one family to show these tragedies. In the novel, “The Grapes of Wrath”, John Steinbeck employed a variety of rhetorical devices, such as asyndeton, personification and simile, in order to persuade his readers to enact positive change from the turmoil of the Great Depression. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck tells the fictional narrative of Tom Joad and his family, while exploring social issues and the hardships of families who had to endure the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Steinbeck’s purpose was to challenge readers to look at

Furthermore, Crockett’s second analysis agues that the ending of The Grapes of Wrath is not purposeless, but hopeful. Again, Crockett is mistaken. Near the end of the book, the Joad family is in shambles; Rose of Sharon is sick, her baby dies, the family loses their possessions in the flood, and several other calamities befall them. Where is the hope? Understandably, many dissenters—Crockett included—will protest that the breast-feeding scene does constitute as hopeful. Dissenters will argue that the scene is symbolic of community because the mother’s milk, which is designated for her children, is shared with someone of no relation to her. Figuratively speaking then, strangers become family, through this act of benevolence. But, these dissenters neglect the death of Rose of Sharon’s

Transcendentalism is a religious, philosophical, literary, and social movement of the nineteenth century. Essentially, this movement was based upon the ideals of the “sixth sense,” nature, and non-conformity, as well as individualism, intuition, idealism, imagination, and inspiration. A few of the works featured in the transcendental unit include Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Song of Myself by Walt Whitman, and Walden by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The primary focus of this essay is to provide an opinion on a strikingly debatable topic; Whether or not Christopher McCandless, hero of Krakauer’s Into the Wild, was a true transcendentalist. Despite the bold actions of Chris McCandless on his daring Alaskan odyssey, he turned out to be far from a true transcendentalist, failing to meet the definition of transcendentalism, being solely concerned with himself, and acting out of revenge rather than seeking self discovery - nothing more than a childish suicidal rebel.

Characters in The Grapes of Wrath are often contrasted to emphasize certain qualities in their relationships, the most notable being a lack of empathy versus a caring and generous nature. Steinbeck’s use of juxtaposition is key to understanding the significance of the contrast involving the landowners and the migrants and why they cannot share sympathies and opinions. These two groups are both rivals and continuously reinforce differences in their lifestyles, and such is the case for the landowners and migrants, which are two drastically different classes that will not cooperate. The migrants are searching for job opportunities and safe places, but are often cheated by the landowners, who are corrupted by their drive for cheap labor and, ultimately, riches,

   In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses both obvious references and subtle contrasts to emphasize the main theme of the novel: the sanctity of man's relationship to the natural world and to each other.

Tom, though, is a very complicated individual who turns out to be a tremendous asset and burden to the family. His parole causes the family an unneeded worry, but does get work that helps the family. He is the main protagonist for his family and the main follower of Jim Casy's philosophy on human nature. Jim is much more of a talker and idealist, and he actually puts what he preached into action. Jim Casy is frequently compared with Jesus Christ and his lifestyle of preaching and leading people. As well as sacrificing himself for Tom and the Joad family which upholds his common held belief. Tom carries Jim’s message after his death and aids others with it. The Joad family, along with Jim Casy, shows the benefit of people uniting in order to accomplish goals and this is a lesson that the reader can take away from this novel.

Steinbeck creates a tone of loss through the images of freedom’s theft, the broken farmer, hopeless men, and a loss of stability. The Joad family attempts to recreate and flourish evokes a quest for freedom of hardship. The hardships break the family down, leading to their attempts to regain their liberty from the bondage of societies monopolies. A tone of loss and struggle permeates Grapes of Wrath.

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

Maybe all men got one big soul ever’body’s a part of.” (24) Casy’s words reflect the foundations of humanism and establish him as a catalyst for humanist behavior within Tom Joad and eventually the entire Joad family. As the narrative progresses, Steinbeck’s juxtaposition of Granma Joad with Ma Joad demonstrates how a humanistic mindset is necessary to keep the Joad family from falling apart. Similar to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s East Egg and West Egg in The Great Gatsby, Granma Joad symbolizes an older, more conservative generation whereas Ma Joad represents the younger, more secularized generation.

In Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the struggle of the small farmer and farmworker. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for all the poor and oppressed of our world.

Steinbeck's introduction to transcendentalism through Jim Casy and Tom Joad's discussion of a unified human

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

“If a person wished to know what transcendentalism was he should empty his mind of everything coming from tradition and the rest would be transcendentalism” (Boller 34). This literary period has dramatically shaped literature and religion, in America. Many writers like Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson have been influence by transcendental ideas. It is astonishing how an inspiring literature movement can change so much of the world’s view and still is around today.