Essay on The Grapes Of Wrath: Symbolic Characters

John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most influential books in American History, and is considered to be his best work by many. It tells the story of one family’s hardship during the Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. The Joads were a hard-working family with a strong sense of togetherness and morals; they farmed their land and went about their business without bothering anyone. When the big drought came it forced them to sell the land they had lived on since before…

Krystal Giffen The Grapes of Wrath Part 1: Literary Analysis 1. A. “…‘What’s this call, this sperit?’ An’ I says, ‘It’s love…” (page 23, Chapter 4). This quote is an example of an metaphor. The use of this metaphor was to show the reader why the preacher doesn’t preach anymore. The effect the metaphor had on the reader was, for them to see how the preacher really viewed ‘the sperit’. B. “One cat’ takes and shoves ten families out. Cat’s all over hell now…” (pg. 8, Chapter 2). This quote is…

The Grapes of Wrath ends in a rather idiosyncratic way. Steinbeck provides an anticlimax ending that is open to interpretation. The last scene occurs after the Joad family has to move from their boxcar due to the flood that has been ongoing for six days. At this point the family has encountered a series of problems that seem to be never ending. Every time there is a glimpse of hope, something comes and tears everything down. In California for example, finding a job was difficult for the family. On…

John Ford’s dramatic film The Grapes of Wrath was released on March 15, 1940. This film was based on John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. This film follows the Joad family on their long trip to California. It watches as they lose their home and are left with no choice but to pack their necessities and set off. Though they had no idea where they were going, they had no choice but to keep on, hoping that somewhere along the line someone would have mercy on them and they would…

John Steinbeck uses symbolism to enrich his writing. Several of these symbols can be found in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad’s, a family from Oklahoma, are in search of a better life. They leave their home in journey to California because of the dust bowl. The symbols in the book are the dust, the turtle, names of people, and the grapes. These symbols give the reader an additional perspective of the book. Dust represents life and death. Dust makes a mess of things and leaves possessions…

many Americans fell back on religion. The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck chronicles the fictional Joad family, giving a harsh, yet realistic depiction of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the journey from Oklahoma to California. On their travels, the Joads bring along the former preacher, Jim Casy, who often serves as a voice for Steinbeck’s attitudes towards religion. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck critiques characters who display blind devotion toward religion, enjoying…

Dynamic Characters and Survival in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath In the American epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, there are pivotal and dynamic changes that occur in the various significant characters of Jim Casy, Ma Joad, and Tom Joad. Steinbeck specifically uses these characters to show their common realizations about all of humanity, in order to demonstrate his underlying meaning about the importance of people coming together, helping each other out, and surviving…

The Grape of Wrath is one of the best known representations of the depression and the things that people went through. It focuses on the Joad family, a small family that is forced out of their home. Because of the large family they have with them, they have to head west in hopes of finding jobs. After a long difficult journey, the finally reach California after finding a bill looking for workers. They go through many different trials while the men try to find jobs, and the son, Tom Joad is haunted…

The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, a remarkable novel that greatly embodied the entire uprisal of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. The usage of imagery and symbolism help to support his many different themes running through the course of the novel. His use of language assisted in personifying the many trials and tribulations which the Joad family, and the rest of the United States, was feeling at the time. This was a time of great confusion…

promised job opportunities and fair wages. However, when the families made it to the west they found that there was a limited number of jobs and they had come too late. John Steinbeck takes readers back to this depression era in his novel The Grapes of Wrath. This novel was so powerful that it was eventually made into a movie. The Movie starts with Tommy Joad, who has just been paroled for the state penitentiary in Oklahoma, getting a ride back to his family’s farm. Once he gets there he finds out…