The Journey In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, many concepts appear that were noted in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. However, the three chapters of Foster’s how-to guide that most apply to Steinbeck’s novel were “It’s All About Sex…,” “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),” and “It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow.” On more than one occasion these concepts are hidden within the book, and two of them actually seem somewhat linked together. After reading between the lines, The Grapes of Wrath has an extremely intricate plot and many ulterior meanings. Foster’s book helps to solve these meanings and make it so that the novel can be completely understood.

During the Great Depression, many citizens faced an arduous lifestyle of unemployment. However, many people managed to entertain themselves by reading literature such as The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck witnessed an injustice towards farmers during the Great Depression, and this inspired Steinbeck to present his perspective of the maltreatment to the open through The Grapes of Wrath. The fictional novel describes how unfortunate conditions, during the Great Depression, force an Oklahoma farmer family to travel to California in search for an easy life, job opportunities, and a bright future. John Steinbeck represented and connected his tones through his trope, making it an excellent read. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

Steinbeck not only uses realism to make an impact on his readers but he also uses strong characterization to his advantage as well (Howard). By using characters such as Ma Joad and Curley's wife, he is able to personalize the novel for the reader. This technique that Steinbeck uses makes the reader feel like he/she can relate with the characters' struggles, therefore, creating a greater sense of understanding toward the characters' situations (Horn). These two characters can best be described as strong, courageous, and they show great amounts of

“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.

Quest is a method where a literary work is broken down into five simple components. The five aspect of Quest consists of a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go, challenges and trials, and a real place to go. This method can be applied to a novel by John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath because many examples are peppered throughout the story.

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. Ma Joad illustrates this idea clearly when she speaks to Tom mid-way through the novel: “Why, Tom, we’re the people that live. They ain’t gonna wipe us out. Why we’re the people--we go on.” (350)

Moreover, in Chapter Thirteen, as the Joad family continues on their journey, they meet the Wilson family. The two families decide to carry on with their trip together. It is at this point that Steinbeck follows the pattern of the circle of life. Steinbeck begins by writing about the rebirth of Tom Joad. Next, Grampa dies. Following this, there is a birth for the Joads when they add the Wilson family to their own. However, as previously stated, in order to represent the hardships of the journey, many more deaths than births occur in the novel. In Chapter Eighteen alone, Noah leaves the family, the Joads continue on without the Wilson family, and Granma dies. It may seem like these losses would tear the family apart, but Ma Joad understands the concept of family, and tries her hardest to keep the family as one unit. For example, Ma Joad sits up all night with Granma's dead body, jut so the family can cross the border. "'The fambly hadda get acrost'" (312).

Family is expressed in diverse ways. Mama strongly believes in the importance of family throughout the book. She continues to try to keep them together by fulfilling their dreams before hers. Her dream was moving her family out of the ghetto and into a house with a yard where children can play, and she can tend a garden. Her dream has been deferred since she and her husband moved into the apartment that the Youngers still inhabit. Every day, her dream provides her with an incentive to make money. But no matter how much she and her husband strived, they could not scrape together enough money to make their dream a reality. As they go through trying times the eventify they come together as a family because by the end they realized being together was most important. They are still strong individuals but together they prove they are a strong family. Throughout the book the Younger family is constantly arguing about what Mama should do with the ten thousand dollars she inherited from her husband. “I-I just seen my family fall apart today…. Just falling into pieces in front of my eyes we couldn’t have gone on like we were today (Hansberry91)” Mama is trying to tell her family that these arguments about the money are tearing her family apart. She wanted them to know that she did the right thing by buying the house, thinking it would make her family happy again. Mama could have spent the money on herself, but she chose her family first and their needs that is

Throughout history man has made numerous excursions, far and wide. Moses' incredible walk through the Red Ocean and Columbus' transversing the Alantic are just yet a couple of thing that keep and eye on extraordinary voyages. Even today, great adventure are being made. Terry Fox's running crosswise over Canada while having cancer is just one of these such trips. In each one of these examples individuals have needed to transcend themselves and overcome emence chances, like a salmon swimming up stream to fulfill its life line.

The meaning of family, unity, and community that the novel depicts and the core belief is that one should give what one has when one has it to give was the motive of the novel and will be explained in this essay. The foundation of the Joad family came from their

The theme of family’s importance is also demonstrated when Amy was in danger. Amy had not been invited to a gathering which caused her to cast her revenge down upon Jo, the one who had refused to bring her along, by burning Jo’s book. Amy, whom seeked forgiveness, followed Jo and her friend Laurence out to the frozen lake one day on which they were going to skate upon. Jo, who had not forgiven Amy, knew that the ice was not safe, but did not inform Amy due to her outrage. Amy started skating, not aware of the danger,

In the book The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck demonstrates that good, strong relationships are a necessity in life and provide us with the will to live and continue fighting during tough times. Steinbeck uses the tough situations that the migrant people faced to show that relationships are important, both within our families, and also with people in our community.

As each character involved in the situation reacts, we are able to see Steinbeck's respect for the poor shining through. The 'never say die' efforts of Uncle John to stop the rising flood water is one example of Steinbeck's unremitting struggle theme. The constant effort of the entire Joad family to find work, even though they are poor, oppressed and hungry, show us that Steinbeck wants to show their tremendous courage and dignity. In this way, Steinbeck is able to use the journey structure to describe these fine qualities he sees and respects in the poor.

Hi Jesus, I agree that, The Grapes of Wrath is a book that talks about the hardships of farmers during the early 1990's. It tells how farmers and their families affected by the depression. I can feel and visualize the situation of the farmers and their families. Their suffering and struggle living in a place full of dust. The difficult situation living in dry and dusty place where the only protection people can use is a handkerchief. Like what John Steinbeck stated, "Men and women huddled in their houses, and they tied handkerchiefs over their nose when they went out and wore goggles to protect their eyes". It amazed me how some of them tried to survive with all those difficulties including their problems with their farmland. In Chapter 5,

That is, Pa Joad was negatively affected by the hardships his family went through. When he became unable to provide for his family, he lost his dignity and purpose. On top of that, Pa had a difficult time adapting to his new way of life and continued to live in the past. He continued to become less of a leader throughout the novel. Pa’s lack of leadership provokes Ma Joad to take charge of the family. Unlike Pa, the family’s hardships and misfortunes throughout the novel cause Ma to become a stronger woman. She becomes able to keep calm and controlled in all types of scenarios. Her main goal is to keep family unity, and she will go to any extent to do so. Ma says, “All we got is the family unbroke. Like a bunch a cows, when the lobos are ranging, stick all together,” (Steinbeck, ). In Ma’s eyes, family is the most valuable thing in their