Essay on The Grapes Of Wrath: Symbolic Characters
Struggling through such things as the depression, the Dust Bowl summers, and trying to provide for their own families, which included finding somewhere to travel to where life would be safe. Such is the story of the Joads. The
Joads were the main family in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, a book which was written in order to show what a family was going through, at this time period, and how they were trying to better their lives at the same time. It wouldn't be enough for Steinbeck to simply write this story in very plain terms, as anyone could have simply logged an account of events and published it.
Critics have argued, however, that Steinbeck was too artificial in his ways of trying to …show more content…
92-93). Jim's last words are to forgive the man who kills him with a pickax.
He tells him "You don't know what you're a-doing," which is a simple allusion to the statement by Jesus to God when He is being crucified and asks his Father to forgive them, for they knew not what they were doing. In this novel, even the title is a Christian allusion. The title is "a direct Christian allusion, suggesting the glory of the coming of the Lord" (Shockley, 90).
Looking at the main character of the story, Tom Joad, even more
Christian symbolism is seen. Tom Joad is almost a direct fit for the story of the "prodigal son" from the bible. He is the son that must lead everyone across in a great journey, while symbolically already wandering from the favor of God by killing a man in self-defense. Tom must find a way to forget about this event and continue to keep his goal
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Grapes Of Wrath Essay
2416 Words | 10 PagesJohn 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…
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5357 Words | 22 PagesKrystal 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…
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541 Words | 2 PagesThe 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…
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Evaluation of the Characters in Director John Ford’s Grapes of Wrath
1012 Words | 4 PagesJohn 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…
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Essay about Grapes Of Wrath
1712 Words | 7 PagesJohn 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…
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Essay on The Grapes Of Wrath: Symbolic Characters
2879 Words | 12 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath: Symbolic Characters Struggling through such things as the depression, the Dust Bowl summers, and trying to provide for their own families, which included finding somewhere to travel to where life would be safe. Such is the story of the Joads. The Joads were the main family in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, a book which was written in order to show what a family was going through, at this time period, and how they were trying to better their lives at the same time. It…
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The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
1549 Words | 6 Pagesmany 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…
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809 Words | 4 PagesDynamic 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…
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Character Analysis on Nunnally Johnson in The Grape of Wrath
679 Words | 3 PagesThe 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…
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Essay on Grapes Of Wrath
2532 Words | 11 PagesThe 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…
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