The Grapes Of Wrath Chapter 2 Summary

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.

“At the heart of every immigrant’s experience is a dream- a vision of hope that is embodied in his or her destination” (Gladstein 685). In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath the migrants imagined the absolute aspects of living care free to the west. However, everything changed once they traveled to the west, realizing the simple concept turned into hazardous problems. John Steinback emphasized the American dream of economic stability and truculent situations towards the Joads family's point of view. Throughout the immigration, the Joads family goes through constant and unpredictable changes in employment, and their eventual failure to find success in California. The novel has been called by critics "a celebration of the human spirit", in several ways it is true due to the aspects of human nature. Despite the hazardous actions people can do, it is important to realize everything around us.

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

The cold, soaked earth, which was a source of life not too long ago, abducts a young child while the mother can only watch hopelessly as the husband shovels mounds of dirt. This event is not too different than most that citizens living during the Dust Bowl had to deal with. The self-destructive nature caused the American people to keep expanding and shaping the land as they saw fit. Because of this they overworked the land which, combined with drought, caused the Dust Bowl. The big corporations soon bought out most of the land in the Mid-West and many families were soon forced to make their living by other means. The shift of these families out west to a limited number of jobs

1-1. “Before me and Neeka started asking D about her life, we were erasers too—she got to step into our world, with all the trees and mamas calling from windows and kids playing on the block, and forget.” (18)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls are the stories of two families who endure seemingly insurmountable odds to stay together. Just a few of the many hardships they face include financial instability and homelessness. The Walls and the Joads have a lot of qualities that help them stay together, but their saving qualities are their ambition and the leadership skills in the women.

In chapters 28-30, At the cotton fields, the Joads were given a box car to live in, but they were forced to live with another family, the Wainwrights. They made money, so they were able to buy some clothes and food. Ma Joad was even able to eat and treat Ruthie and Winfield to a Cracker Jack candy. When a girl took Ruthie's candy, the girl wanted to fight her and Ruthie told the girl that her brother has killed 2 men. Joad rushed to tell Tom that her secret was out. When Ma returned to the box car a small farmer told her that he need some picker for his 20 acres. The men were forced to beg or steal the food. The rain made the rivers overflow. On the third day of the storm, it still began to continue pouring so sign of clearing. On the sixth

Robert was another friend that Ben had made while working for General Motors. Ben discussed how he and Robert had many things in common. For instance, Ben stated “His forefathers, like mine, had drifted into this moron dragnet lookin’ for steady work and a pocketful of beer change.” (Hamper pg. 53). This is important because, again Ben is showing that they have bonded over personal information rather than how well they do their jobs. Once again, this is away of showing that they respect each other’s individuality by sharing information about each other. When you share information about yourself to someone else you are telling them more about you as a person, not a worker. Ben also goes on to discuss different parts of Robert’s life. For example,

Chapter 14 from The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck shows an overview of what is going on during that time, how a surge of families began to migrate west to California. Steinbeck conveys that the majority of people during this time were confused and frightened about what was happening and about what was to happen in the future. Through his language use, Steinbeck shows this confusion and fright that most people had. In Chapter 14 of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses his language to show the people’s confusion and uncertainty about their future. One example that shows this is when Steinbeck talks about those who had to leave their homes.

Thomas Foster explains to his audience that authors only take the time to write in detail about an event as boring as his or her characters eating a meal to show how the characters get along; either in a positive manner or a negative manner. It is a tool that authors use to connect different characters with a common activity: eating. If the meal is finished without hassle, then, Foster explains, it shows that the characters have an equal footing which is a good sign. In the case in which the meal is interrupted, then the reader can assume that there is a negative connotation and that something is wrong.

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 end of the novel has a few key events that take place that help to contribute to a hopeful message. To begin with, Sadie and Walter make up with Lachie and promise to have a pool game with him after the football match. If the Boort football team wins they go into the grand final. In addition, a crow helps them to find were Jimmy Raven was buried and they make a grave marker for him. Sadie and Walter also discuss finding were Jimmy’s homeland is so that in the future they can bring him back and bury him there were he should be. The last key event that takes place occurs when Sadie starts talking to the crow but can’t understand it. Sadie then says goodbye to Crow and says that she knows Crow isn’t going to go, as it is Crows land. All of

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

The first time I saw the movie, I believed it could be a long flashback that begins after the assault in the alley which fades into the Gorfein’s apartment and then brings us back to the present. The significance of the scene in the back alley behind the café plays a central role in portraying this sort of Lynchian loop, which reveals in the last scene how Llewyn is living in a time loop. Llewyn realizes this too in when he says a sarcastic “au revoir” to the shadowy figure that assaulted him in that back alley. Even though the details may change he knows that he is still going to end up with a busted lip because that’s his fate. Llewyn is trying to make it in the folk music industry and the trials and tribulations he faces along the way do

In chapter three and four, Naomi advises Ruth to consider marrying Boaz. She commands Ruth to wash herself, anoint herself and wear her best clothing before meeting with Boaz to discuss her first rights with marriage. Ruth obeys Naomi, and seeks out to find Boaz. After meeting Boaz at the end of the heap of grain, Ruth mentions her first rights to him. Boaz consents to this, but first must make sure that no other women have first rights. Boaz meets with ten elders of Bethlehem to discuss first rights and the redeeming ofRuth. After the discussion, Boaz redeems and marries Ruth. Together, they conceive a son and name him Obed, who is now part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.