Themes And Symbolism In The Grapes Of Wrath

Metaphors are used a lot throughout the book The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Some examples of metaphors in the story are, the sand turtle trying to cross the road in chapter three, the bank monster that is described in chapter five, and the car dealership that is described in chapter seven.

Another strong theme from the book is the importance of family bonds, especially if that’s

In the book Canyons, Gary Paulsen uses figurative language multiple times as a method to construe scenes to the reader in an easily understandable way. To start of with an example of figurative language is when the author writes “They were all over the van like gremlins” this

“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.

To quote Ma Joad in the film The Grapes of Wrath, “I ain 't never gonna be scared no more. I was, though. For a while it looked as though we was beat. Good and beat. Looked like we didn 't have nobody in the whole wide world but enemies. Like nobody was friendly no more. Made me feel kinda bad and scared too, like we was lost and nobody cared....Rich fellas come up and they die, and their kids ain’t no good and they die out. But we keep a comin’, we’re the people that live. They can’t wipe us out; they can’t lick us. We’ll go on forever Pa, ‘cause we’re the people.” This statement captures the resilience of the American working class since the birth of the country. Ma 's speech can be read as a proclamation of necessary fictions to bolster the morale of the family. She is the uncomplaining maintainer of status quo in the home, the ultimate mother figure who not only attends to physical needs, but mental needs as well.

Ye, have heard that it hath been said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy." But I say unto you, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hat you, and pray for them which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

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.

After reading the novel it made me appreciate my grandparents a lot more. I rarely visit them and after reading how Jacob felt at the residential home I’m motivated to visit my grandparents more often.

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 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

When first beginning to read this novel the reader may think that this book is all about some lady with strange children at a house but in actuality it is about this lady that has all of these children with strange things that they can do and this boy Jacob is one of them but he does not know it till something tragic happens in the family. Jacob Portman’s grandfather seemed to be going crazy in the beginning of this book and everyone thought he was just a crazy old man who was seeing made-up things. Grandpa Portman called Jacob at work saying he can’t find his key for his locker with all of his guns he kept asking him if he knew where it was but Jacob said he did not know where it was, but Jacobs father took the key because he thought he was crazy and a danger to himself and others.

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

Jacob presents a more “freedom” lifestyle but still uniformed at the same time. Even with this modern style of living though, there were rules that may seem unusual to someone living in this time period.

The book begins with Jacob riding over to D’Ortega's house to settle a debt. He stops, “to free the bloody hindleg of a young raccoon stuck in a tree break” (Morrison 12). He is so respectful of nature that he goes out of his way to help small animals. He respects all creatures, big and small, and is able to live in peace with them. He tries to coexist with the Natives, too, “negotiat[ing] native trails on horseback, mindful of their fields of

He was born in a normal family. His father was an engineer and now lives in Silicon Valley with new family which means he is smart and normal. Although the father supports them financially, he is emotionally and physically absent from the family because he left them when they need him most. After the father’s leaving, Jacob had diagnosed as an Asperger’s syndrome which is showing high functioning autism and it changed her life a lot. She confessed that she had a friend and was in a community before Jacob. Her role as a mother has been overwhelming enough for two son but she devoted her whole life for her sons especially Jacob. I wondered what hope or expectation made her strong and keep the family