Symbols In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

California and the flood at the end of the novel, and teachings throughout the novel.

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

Ordinary, dull and uninteresting is the work of literature that lacks the usage of symbols. All the writers of creative imagination use symbolism to convey their ideas which will help readers to understand their work. On the other hand, symbols could be anything. They could be characters or even colors in order to represent abstract ideas or concepts that directly serve the themes of a literary work. Throughout The Pearl, readers can easily notice John Steinbeck's powerful skills in using symbols in the novel and how he portraits them to play an important role in highlighting different themes and gathering new meanings which deeply enhances that plot. Therefore, Steinbeck uses characters, objects and music in what it only seems to be a simple story about a pearl diver who finds a giant pearl to give readers a chance to interpret things on a much deeper level.

One of Steinback 's metaphor is the sand turtle. He uses an entire chapter to symbolize the sand turtle as the Joads. The sand turtle attempts to cross the road in chapter three. The turtle slowly crosses the highway, attempting to reach his goal, the other side, to find a new place. As the turtle crosses, it faces obstacles. Such as passing cars and even starting off in the first place. It slowly but surely crosses the road, and eventually reaches his goal. This is just like the Joads predicament. The Joads are in need of a new place to go. A new home, due to the failing crops and the corrupt greedy banks. They head out on a long and vigorous journey, but even starting it was hard. Grampa joad threw a fit about leaving. He told Papa Joad, " I tell ya I ain 't goin ', an ' ya can lump it." So they had to slip him cough medicine in order to get him to go. This prolonged the trip and was an obstacle to overcome. The trip itself was difficult. There were many times where they were hungry, desperate, and out of faith. But, they kept pushing on. Just like the sand turtle, the Joads were tough, and would not be held from their ultimate goal.

As can be seen in The Grapes of Wrath, the Joads are a very tight-knit family. Yet on their trip to California, they experience many losses and additions to their family. In general, Steinbeck's novel abides by the circle of life. When a birth occurs, a death follows, and when a death occurs, a birth follows. However, in The

California brings about another biblical allusion. As part of Moses bringing his people out of Egypt, he told of a promised land to where he would take the Israelites, and that land was Canaan. For the Joad’s and many other migrants, California was the promised land they were searching for. Apart from both of the promised lands beginning with the letter C, they had many things in common. “The vineyards, the orchards, the great flat valley, green and beautiful…the peach trees and the walnut groves, and the dark green patches of oranges (Steinbeck 227).” This is an allusion to the promised land of the Jews, where in Numbers 13:27 it states “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit (Zondervan 207).” Both lands were bursting with

John Steinbeck’s primary focus in the majority of his literary pieces is religion. The religious aspects of his stories are primarily shown through subtle connections to Biblical characters along with other hints. The most prominent piece of literature that displays religious connections is his novel The Grapes of Wrath. For the duration of the story, religion helps sustain the characters of the novel from difficult times. His novel contains numerous Biblical references that are conveyed through the characters of the Joad family along with Jim Casy; Steinbeck wants his audience to understand the plot development’s relation to religion which is shown through the character’s concern with spirituality as they endure the struggles of the Great

The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck. Throughout the novel Steinbeck uses rhetorical devices such as syntax and diction to support his tones and themes. In chapter 5, the tenants get vested by the men of the bank, and were told they had to leave. This chapter created 3 tones: hatred, sympathy and hope. One of the rhetorical devices used in The Grapes of Wrath is syntax.

The novel “The Grapes of Wrath”, by John Steinbeck, the main theme is Dignity of the Wrath. Throughout the novel the Joad family, and new friends found along the way face a series of very unfortunate events. The family found themselves in debt that they could not get out of. Which led them to be “tractored out” because the bank now owned their land. In turn, they have to leave their family farm, and head out west to California to find work.

The Bible is most widely sold book in history, and possibly the most influential. Contrast that with The Grapes of Wrath, a book that was banned in America until rather recently, and the two seem very unrelated. However, John Steinbeck uses the bible as a source of inspiration in The Grapes of Wrath and includes references to the Bible throughout the book. Steinbeck’s book serves to protest the large big business capitalism, that plagues the migrants throughout the book and promotes a socialist revolution in the United States. The biblical references featured in The Grapes of Wrath are meant to show the common people will always prevail over the powerful minority, and there will always be a Christ-like figure that will lead that revolution. Steinbeck utilizes The Grapes of Wrath to open the reader to the idea of a democratic socialist revolution in the United States by grounding his argument in biblical allusions to emphasize his socialist rhetoric.

In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings a variety of diverse characters to the reader. The majority of these characters' individuality lies within whom they symbolize. What I'm trying to say is that the character in the novel represents another being outside of the novel. For example, the former preacher Jim Casey who is also a good friend of the Joads may to some readers represent Jesus Christ. In the novel, Jim Casey brings along religious stability and hope to the families migrating West. I believe there are many "hints" or ways that Steinbeck shows this representation throughout the novel, and in this report I will

In John Steinbeck's short story, "The Chrysanthemums," he uses the flower to symbolize his main character's thoughts and ideas. There are many examples of such symbolism in this work.

    Steinbeck's political views are quite evident within The Grapes of Wrath. The subject of much controversy, The Grapes of Wrath serves as a social protest and commentary. Steinbeck's views as expressed through the novel tie directly into the Marxist ideals on communism.

In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family experiences many hardships on the journey to and in California, ranging from dying family members to a lack of sufficient food. In the third chapter of the novel, author John Steinbeck introduces a determined turtle who attempts to make its journey across a highway. The turtle is apparently nearly run over multiple times, and is actually hit by a car. This causes the turtle to be flipped on its shell, until it catches its footing and “little by little the shell [pulls] over and [is] flopped upright”(16). The turtle then continues its journey and successfully crosses the highway. Although this chapter may have seemed out of place, as the turtle seems to have nothing to do with the novel, Steinbeck’s use of symbolism is apparent. The turtle itself is supposed to symbolize the Joad family and the struggles they face trying to find a better life. Like the turtle, the family is knocked down many times, and like the turtle the family is still able to find its footing and stay determined. The Joad family’s goal is to make a living in California, and although they will face many challenges, they still have their eyes set on crossing their own personal and hazardous turtle highway.

The Language and Styles of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath is a classic book. Some people have read it multiple times, but still do not fully understand what Steinbeck is really talking about. To truly understand what is being told, the reader must first understand the types of language and style of writing he uses. His narrative styles have a lot of impact on the reader. Steinbeck uses many elements to endow his novel with a powerful sense of realism and authenticity.