Symbolism Of The Steinbeck 's ' The Grapes Of Wrath '

Metaphors are used a lot throughout the book The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Some examples of metaphors in the story are, the sand turtle trying to cross the road in chapter three, the bank monster that is described in chapter five, and the car dealership that is described in chapter seven.

Similar to a cactus’ bloom in the heat of the desert, through adversity humanity prospers and processes. Society, as a whole, has experienced, at least once, hardships in their lifetime, and through these trying situations people acquire compassion. Being familiar with challenges, people more readily accepts the distress of others and offer required assistance during times of difficulty. Although adversity is seen as the creator of contempt and hatred because of its negative effects on mentality, adversity fosters compassion through the creation of empathy, morality, and association in a person with others in a calamity.

As an example of good writing, the passage about the turtle is especially effective. This passage, which can be found in chapter 3 of the novel, describes the journey of a turtle trying to cross a highway road and was purposely almost run over by one man. This passage is effective particularly because of its use of literary devices. Steinbeck represents symbolism and foreshadowing simultaneously through the turtle and his journey. The turtle symbolizes the families who are traveling to California and the turtle’s struggle to cross the

The Grapes of Wrath introduces new characters in chapter four. The characters can easily be related to every day lives, including our own. The character that can be connected most with myself is the turtle. Constantly, I feel I am never noticed and I am just kicked around by people every day. Some people notice me, but only get out of my way instead of offering their help. Some people target me as a way to prove they are larger than me. They swerve towards me to injure me or scare me. Steinbeck's ultimate goal is to make the reader sympathize with the turtle. The turtle is a helpless creature who is abandoned on the road, and the most care he gets from any passing drive is just an attempt to not hit the turtle. Tom Joad comes along

A family torn apart by poverty and desperation in the Great Depression leave their home in the dust bowl in hopes of finding a new life on the green pastures of California. This was the foundation of an award winning novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” written by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck achieved great success as an author after writing “The Grapes of Wrath” as it sold over 10,000 copies a week for months after its debut. To illustrate life in the dust bowl, the author uses literary elements or formal components such as a sophisticated tone, natural dialect in the form of slang, and figurative language.

In addition, John Steinbeck displays a hopeful tone in his novel. For instance, a chapter exists where it solely talks about a turtle attempting to walk across the road. However, the turtle is slow, so the turtle faces and accepts the life-threatening obstacles the journey provides. Eventually, the turtle intentionally gets hit by a light truck to knocked towards the side of the highway. The turtle continues to crawl away from the road after encountering the truck; “As the turtle crawled on down the embankment, its shell dragged dirt over the seeds. The turtle entered a dust road and jerked itself along, drawing a wavy shallow trench in the dust with its shell” (Steinbeck 16). The turtle crossing the road symbolizes the arduous journey that the Joads will take to California. The turtle originally wanted to cross the highway to get to the other side. However, after the truck hits the turtle, the turtle does not proceed towards the highway, so the turtle successfully crossed the road. The successful turtle crossing symbolizes how the Joads will successfully finish their journey despite facing life-threatening obstacles like the turtle did. The tone shifts from a negative tone to a hopeful tone as we realize that the Joads could potentially have financial success when they arrive to California. Therefore, a hopeful tone becomes evident through the symbolism of the turtle

   Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath is extremely complex, with many images drawn from the Old and New Testaments.  However, Steinbeck as usual was eclectic in his use of symbols, and a great deal of the novel is given to either pagan and universal archetypes, or to highly original meanings unique to the author's own vision and experience.  While acknowledging the Judeo-Christian content, these other symbols are just as important, and an exploration into their use in Steinbeck's work, reveal their real significance.

Through such hardships as the Depression, the Dust Bowl summers, and trying to provide for their own families, which included the search for a safe existence, we find the story of the Joad's. The Joad's are the main family in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which he created to give voice to the hundreds of families that found themselves at their absolute rock bottom during the Great Depression of the 20th Century in America.

The central conflict in The Grapes of Wrath is the Dust Bowl during the 1930’s and its effects on tenant farmers. The Joads are just one of many families affected by this disaster. The story revolves around their move to California and their search for jobs. The quality that helps them endure is their ambition. Their desire to be successful drives them to work hard and support one another. Their ambition is symbolized by their move to California and search

The central conflict in The Grapes of Wrath is the Dust Bowl during the 1930’s and its effects on tenant farmers. The Joads are just one of many families affected by this disaster. The story revolves around their move to California and their search for jobs. The quality that helps them endure is their ambition. Their desire to be successful drives them to work hard and support one another. Their ambition is symbolized by their move to California and search

The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck describes a family’s attempt at finding prosperity in a new land. In many instances throughout the novel, there are parallels to various Biblical passages, including both the Old and New Testaments. From specific details to broad themes, these allusions can be found in any part of the novel. The Grapes of Wrath has parallels to the Bible through Jim Casey, other characters, and the Joads’ journey to California.

The turtle in the “Grapes of Wrath” presents itself as a very important symbol of the Joads determination. A symbol of persistence the Joad family sustains throughout their journey. As the turtle attempts to cross the busy road, it is confronted with many challenges. For instance, as “a light truck approached… the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it… little by little the shell pulled over and flopped upright.” (Ch. 3, 15-16) Like the turtle, the Joads slowly, but surely, continue moving forward, “turning aside for nothing,” (Ch. 3, 14)

The novel The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck uses analogies throughout the story to reinforce the themes of hardship, struggle, and danger of people heading west in search of a better life during the Depression of the 1930’s. Steinbeck devotes the time and pages early in the story to develop one analogy. The difficult journey of a turtle trying to make its way across the road foreshadows the tribulations of the Joad family’s venture to California. The innocent turtle crossing the highway serves to emphasize the Joad's journey to California, full of hardship and struggle. The Joad’s family is looking for work and a new life in California much like the turtle wanting to continue his journey on the other side of the road, but

Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters to inform the reader of the time Grapes of Wrath takes place and the people in that era. The turtle represented the Joads with symbolic obstacles, both natural and human, and a steadfastness that remained unscathed. While the turtle faced a massive hill that impeded his path, all of nature stymied the Joads. For instance, when Steinbeck depicts the setting, he states, “The air and the sky darkened and through them the sun shone redly, and there was a raw sting in the air. During a night the wind raced faster over the land, dug cunningly among the