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Minor characters in the grapes of wrath essay
Alienation from society in literature
Alienation from society in literature
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Jim Casy’s alienation allows him to isolate specific people in society who appear purely good within this downgrade society, as he travels with the Joad family whom he believes are good people. Trying to form salvation for the migrant workers. Learning about culture, he depicts flaws, as he’s “been walkin’around’ in the country. Ever’body’s askin’ that. What we comin’ to? Seems to me we don’t never come to nothin’. Always on the way. Always goin’ and goin’.” (127-128). Steinbeck would use Casy’s sermons as a biblical allusion to Jesus to reinforce the theme of salvation. Later Jim Casy would finally realize that he has found his place in society after living from alienation for so long, with learning more about the Joad family and his experience
People just don’t seem to give up, they continue fighting till the very end rather than lay down and succumb to the challenge faced. In “The Grapes of Wrath”, John Steinbeck uses symbolism and religious allusions as unifying devices to illustrate the indomitable nature of the human spirit.
John Steinbeck makes many Biblical allusions in his book The Grapes of Wrath. Many of these connections are on a small layer, perhaps applying to only one individual. Jim Casy, the Christ figure, is one example of an allusion from the New Testament. However, the whole book can be seen as a Biblical allusion to the story of the Exodus and the life of Moses. Not only does the story of the fictional Joad family relate to the Exodus, but the story of the Okies and the great migration that took place during the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. This compelling story of the migrants can be divided into three parts: the oppression, the exodus, and the Promised Land.
Misfit to Madonna: Rose of Sharon’s Transformation When Rose of Sharon is first introduced in The Grapes of Wrath, we learn that she is expecting a child from her new husband, Connie Rivers. She is described as a mystical being whose primary concern is the well-being of her child, even at the almost ridiculously early stage of her pregnancy at the start of the novel. It is this concern that illustrates Rose of Sharon’s transformation from misfit to Madonna through the Joad’s journey. Rose of Sharon incessantly asks Ma Joad if “it’ll hurt the baby” throughout the majority of the novel, and adopts an attitude of superiority over others with her precious possession. She all but refuses to help the family pack the truck for California for fear of disturbing her fetus, even though she knows her help is needed.
Holiness, sin, and life are repeatedly questioned throughout John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, particularly by the former preacher, Jim Casey. As a preacher, Casey only preaches what the bible states and he resigns from his occupation after he feels the urge to pursue life's true meaning and values of the individual - basically to make sense of the world he resides in. Casey closely resembles the character and motives of Jesus Christ, as he is enthused to uncover the answers to his wonders and doubts and begins to hold new beliefs of sacrificing the self to sustain the rights of society.
Steinbeck's intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath have nothing to do with the Joads or other characters of the novel, but help describe the story in different terms. They are similar to poems, offering different viewpoints of the migration, and clarifying parts of the story that the reader might not understand. An excellent example of this use can be seen in chapter 21, where an examination of the attitudes of migrant Okies and the residents of California reveals the changing nature of land ownership among the changing population of California and gives greater meaning to the fierce hostility that the Joads meet in California.
At the beginning of the book, Tom Joad stumbles upon a former preacher by the name of Jim Casy. Casy has lost the faith and changed his religious philosophy to personal philosophy, breaking from the “primitive” style of worship (Lisca 100). He draws reference to Jesus Christ. In addition to the same initials, he compares to what Jesus Christ was, a prophet that broke from the traditional style of worship familiar to most in Israel. Casy later becomes a labor organizer, believing in a community rather than himself (Lisca 102).
Level II: Paragraph about the Wall Throughout the novel, Offred and her companion, Ofglen, visit the Wall during their shopping trips. The Wall is where the government displays the criminals who were hanged at the recent Salvation for everyone to see. It is an important element of the setting because it offers insight into other rights the government has stripped away besides women’s rights. For example, the crimes Offred sees displayed are doctors who gave abortions, Jews who did not change their religious stance, and two men who partook in homosexual acts. There are also three women hanged- two handmaids and a wife- for unknown reasons, but it is suspected adultery or murder attempt.
The differences between selfishness and selflessness are strong throughout The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Everywhere the Joad family goes there is always someone to either push them into the dirt or give them a hand out of the dirt. This happened far and wide, people can be greedy, selfish, and rapacious. It’s in our nature, but even in desperate times when people have a right to be selfish, some will find the will in their heart to aid those who can’t help themselves.
The Use of Interchapters in The Grapes of Wrath & nbsp; John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath, is a narrative about the travel of the Joad family from Oklahoma to California. However, between many of the narrative chapters, Steinbeck inserts interchapters, which interrupt the flow of the narrative to provide the author's commentary. This technique is very effective because the interchapters create an image of the economic and social history that impact the story. They provide a broad picture of what is happening to the mass of migrants traveling to California on migrants, and Stienbeck would not have been able to provide very effective commentary. & nbsp; Steinbeck uses some of the interchapters to set the tone and mood of the novel and to depict the life of the migrants that had to travel down Route 66 in the 1930's. For example, Steinbeck writes chapter seven using a newsreel technique. By using small pieces of spoken conversation, and half-thoughts, Steinbeck is able to create a mood of confusion and chaos. He creates an image of how the migrants were taken advantage of and gives In addition, chapter five creates a clear image of the devastation that the farmers faced and their hatred for the "monster" bank. This interchapter allows the reader to experience the passion that the farmers have toward the land and the choices they had to make concerning betrayal of their own people. It presents the reader with a broad perspective of what is happening to the tenant farmers before applying it directly to a single family-the Joads. Furthermore, chapter nine provides the reader with and give away, sell or burn their lives and their past. This interchapter sets the mood of misery and despair and is one of the most touching because it captures the sympathy of the reader and allows them to realize the tough times the migrants faced and overcame. Had these few pages not been included in the work, the novel would suffer greatly because it would not capture the sympathy of the reader towards the migrants. Steinbeck is able to create the mood and tone of the novel in these interchapters which and allowing the reader to understand what life was truly like for the migrant families. & nbsp; The interchapters provide Steinbeck with the opportunity to insert his own subjective commentary and help to interpret the novel for the reader. For example, chapter three of the novel is an extended metaphor that demonstrates endurance and perseverance; qualities that are demonstrated by the Joads, as well as other migrants, throughout the novel. Steinbeck highly admired the migrants because they endured much suffering but never gave up. He uses this interchapter to depict the struggles of the Joads, as well as other migrants, and to commend their praiseworthy determination and persistence. In addition, in chapter twelve Steinbeck challenges the idea that America is afford to buy real estate. The migrants argue that they live in a free country, but they are forced to face the fact that they are not free unless they can pay for it. This chapter allows the reader to see that the migrants were virtual slaves because they were told where to go and were forced to work for nearly nothing. Furthermore, chapter fourteen gives Steinbeck's views on socialism. This chapter is important because it demonstrates one of the novel's major themes; the change " The migrants are all in the same position and because they know that they can depend on one another they realize the need of family and unity to get through hard times. Without interchapters that give Steinbeck's own commentary on the subjects, the novel would lack the social background that gives the reader insight into the lives of those affected by the Dust Bowl and would not allow the reader to feel sorrow for the migrants. & nbsp;
John Steinbeck used a lot of different styles in The Grapes of Wrath. He liked using language that was in keeping with his characters. He was also really big on symbolism. Steinbeck also used intercalary chapters to provide some of the background information.
In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings to the reader a variety of diverse and greatly significant characters. However, the majority of each characters' individuality happens to lie within what they symbolize in the microcosm of the Joad family and their acquaintances, which itself stands for the entire migrant population of the Great Depression era. One such character is that of Jim Casey, a former preacher and long-time friend of the Joads. In this story, Casey represents a latter-day Christ figure who longs to bring religious stability to the burgeon of migrant families facing West.
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, transition is defined as a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, style to another, or simply just change. The book Grapes of Wrath have displayed many transitions by the characters and the society that is portrayed in the novel. The two characters that made significant transitions in the book are Tom Joad and Ma Joad. Tom transitions over the course of the novel from an ex-convict that had killed a man, independent, stubborn, and lives his life day by day to exhibiting thoughtfulness, a person with high morals, and compassion. In the beginning of the novel, Ma Joad was just a mother figure and care giver in the family, but later on she slowly begins to become the center for strength and the decision maker in the family when Pa Joad was not effectively able to assume that role. Another significant transition in the novel is the changing in society that
Jim Casy, an ex-preacher, constantly shares his thoughts and philosophies about life. Throughout the novel, he indirectly alludes to Jesus Christ. Casy believes that men are holy, and later he, just like Jesus, is killed for opposing human cruelty and suffering.
Like many events in the novel, many characters in Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath symbolize the theme of Christianity. The most obvious character would be that of Jim Casy. Jim Casy was previously a preacher, but he gave up preaching because he felt he had sinned. He travels with the Joad family on their journey to California, and although he insists that he has given up his counseling past, he continues to act as a preacher for the Joad family.
The Grapes of Wrath attempts to show the difference between the groups of people and the characters along the lines of race, class, and religion, which are discussed in this paper. The Okies' racial status as Anglo Americans appeared to distinguish them from other immigrant workers. Steinbeck utilizes their whiteness further bolstering his good fortune. The "Harvest Gypsies" articles underline the migrants' Anglo-Saxon legacy: their names "show that they are of English, German and Scandinavian plunge." To these families living in provincial regions, with names like "Munns, Holbrooks, Hansens, Schmidts," majority rules system "was not just conceivable be that as it may inescapable" (Hicks, 1939). Steinbeck announces that "this new race" is in California for all time, dissimilar to past migrant gatherings who were extradited when they were no more handy; consequently, he predicts, the state will need to adjust its framework to suit them. Since they are Americans, "the old routines for constraint, of starvation wages, of imprisoning, beating and intimidation are not going to work." The Grapes of Wrath offers a challenge to working class readers to unite with the working population subjects of the story, contending that the desolates of capital amassing are felt all around the society, even all the more intensely on the penniless migrant workers.