Theme of Humanity's Journey in The Grapes of Wrath In Steinbecks novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the unremitting struggle of the people who depend on the soil for their livelihood. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their never-ending struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for the poor and oppressed of this world. The journey of the Joads delivers of Steinbeck's message of respect for the poor and oppressed on three levels. The first is literal: he used the journey and its ever-changing environment to put the Joads through many situations. The second level is general: the journey of the Joads can be seen as the same that forced farmers to become migrants from the dust bowl westward or indeed of any mass migration since the beginning of time. The third level is the symbolic level, which I call the Fractal Idea of Sameness, that many things are identical at different levels. The first level, the literal, is simply to describe the events the Joads witness and experience. Steinbeck uses the journey to place his characters in a range of dilemmas. He is then able to draw reactions from them. 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. If we read a little deeper in The Grapes of Wrath, we find the journey of the Joads mirrors that of other Okies and other forced migrations in history. The journey of the Joads has its ups and downs. Migrants are not always received with open arms; they are persecuted and looked upon as not even human. For them the promised land becomes the land of despair. In many ways, the journey of the black Africans to America as slaves is similar to the dust bowl migrations. Both are forced from the land that they love by almost non-human forces. They were taken to the land of riches where they were poor. The slaves were however taken by force but the Okies were seduced by the lure of work and prosperity. To help understand the third and deepest level of reading, we can apply a mathematical idea, that is the Fractal Idea of Sameness, that things are identical at different levels. For example, if we look at a mountain we see it has the same shape as a smaller peak, which has the same shape as a small mound, all the way down to a heap of dirt. If we apply this principle to this novel, we see that the journey of Tom is identical to that of the Joads which is the same as that of all humanity which is the same as that of the turtle of Chapter 3. Each of these journeys has its ups and downs, setbacks and positives. Each starts doing something and ends up doing something else. But all are moving forward. Steinbeck implies that all of humanity is on a journey, and for better or for worse we continue to move forward. This is why the journey structure is so suitable as it is itself a theme. The journey of the Joads is the same as the haphazard progress of the human race towards a goal, perhaps it is justice at last. Like the turtle also constantly moving, it never knowing the outcome till it gets there. Still it plods on. All in all, Steinbeck's choice of the journey structure to dramatize his several themes has enabled him to relate life's realities. He is able to show us the virtue of the poor by trapping his characters in an unfair world of persecution and downfalls, yet they remain sympathetic and heroic if defeated. Through the journey, he is able to show readers that life has its ups and downs. This structure makes for ease of access to his message. By reaching the general theme of humanity's journey, his novel attains the status of a classic, for humanity will always be on a journey. This makes The Grapes of Wrath not only a classic but a timeless one as well.
Throughout the novel, The Grapes of Wrath there are intercalary chapters. The purpose of these chapters are to give the readers insight and background on the setting, time, place and even history of the novel. They help blend the themes, symbols, motifs of the novel, such as the saving power of family and fellowship, man’s inhumanity to man, and even the multiplying effects of selfishness. These chapters show the social and economic crisis flooding the nation at the time, and the plight of the American farmer becoming difficult. The contrast between these chapters helps readers look at not just the storyline of the Joad family, but farmers during the time and also the condition of America during the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck uses these chapters to show that the story is not only limited to the Joad family,
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.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck had many comparisons from the movie and the book. In 1939, this story was to have some of the readers against the ones that kept the American people in poverty held responsible for their actions. This unique story was about the Joad’s family, who were migrant workers looking for a good decent job. They were also farmers from Oklahoma that are now striving to find some good work and success for their family in California. This novel was one of Steinbeck’s best work he has ever done. It was in fact an Academy Award movie in 1940. Both the movie and the novel are one of Steinbeck’s greatest masterpieces on both the filmmaking and the novel writing. Both the novel and film are mainly the same in the beginning of the story and towards the end. There were some few main points that Steinbeck took out from the book and didn’t mention them in the movie. “The Grapes of Wrath is a
Steinbeck strikes at the fear in every man’s soul, with his portrayal of the poverty stricken life of the Joads as they travel from one stage of abandonment and what would seem like a helpless state to a journey of enduring perseverance. The Joads, Steinbeck’s creation in the Novel Grapes of Wrath is a large close-knit family living in Oklahoma during the “Dust Bowl” era. Steinbeck documents their journey beginning with their homelessness due to the crop failures to them surviving in a box car at the end of their journey. I think Steinbeck’ intention is to illustrate to the reader that being poor doesn’t always equate with being helpless. The Joads demonstrate this by their resilience to overcome homelessness, death, and prejudice.
The daughter of Reuben Betancourt took the hospital to court in order to require the hospital to...
Steinbeck dedicates the entire third chapter to illustrate the journey of a turtle crossing a road.A woman drives down the highway swerves around the turtle so she does not hit it. However, unlike the woman a man in a truck heads straight for the turtle as if it had a target on its back. The man does slightly hit the turtle, but only enough to knock the turtle over onto his shell, he struggles to get up, but eventually does and finishes his journey across the highway. The turtle symbolizes the Joad family and the other migrant worker families. Just like the turtle, they overcome someone who has more power than them that tries to ruin their lives. ( Turtle almost gets run over by a truck, farmer families getting kicked off their farms.) Just like the turtle, these people accept the cards they are given in life and use what they have to improve their situation, Even when Tom took the turtle and wrapped it up, the turtle consistently worked towards getting out of that coat to continue in the direction in which it was headed. Similarly, the turtle the migrant families never forgot where they were headed in spite of all their troubles. This use of symbolism causes the reader to root for and become an advocate for the migrant workers not only in the book but in real life. Through the
The tale of The Grapes of Wrath has many levels of profound themes and meanings to allow us as the reader to discover the true nature of human existence. The author's main theme and doctrine of this story is that of survival through unity. While seeming hopeful at times, this book is more severe, blunt, and cold in its portrayl of the human spirit. Steinbeck's unique style of writing forms timeless and classic themes that can be experienced on different fronts by unique peoples and cultures of all generations.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is considered a classic novel by many in the literary field. The trials and tribulations of the Joad family and other migrants is told throughout this novel. In order to gain a perspective into the lives of "Oakies", Steinbeck uses themes and language of the troubling times of the Great Depression. Some of these aspects are critiqued because of their vulgarity and adult nature. In some places, The Grapes of Wrath has been edited or banned. These challenges undermine Steinbeck's attempts to add reality to the novel and are unjustified.
Before we can get into the nitty gritty of the doctors situation, we have to talk about some background about how Williams presents his story. This story takes place in the Great Depression era. This can be seen because of a couple clues the author gives in the story. The first words the mother says are “you must excuse us, doctor, we have her in the kitchen where it is warm. It is very damp here sometimes” (2) With this statement, we learn that this is a relatively poor household because the only warm place in the house is the kitchen, where the food is prepared, and that it gets damp inside other areas of the house every so often. There is another statement made by the narrator that says, “that’s why they were spending three dollars on me.” (3) three dollars seems very little to us for a personal house visit of a doctor but that is the point being made that there is not much money to go around in the times of the great depression and people have to make money wherever they can. Diphtheria was a common disease in this time period and did not begin to phase out of existence until widespread vaccination was commonplace. As of 2003, there have been no cas...
Transience is another important theme that is clearly introduced in the novel. The Joads family, like many other migrant families, is forced to lose their home. They had to live in a government camp because there is nowhere else to go. They had to change everything in order to adapt with the new circumstances. For example, Ma Joad, in chapter 8, comments on these changes saying: “I never had my house pushed over…I never had my fambly stuck out on the road. I never had to sell ــever’thing ـــHere they come now” (The Grapes of Wrath 65), these families do not even have the right of humanitarian living
Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic novel that mimics life and offers social commentary too. It offers many windows on real life in midwest America in the 1930s. But it also offers a powerful social commentary, directly in the intercalary chapters and indirectly in the places and people it portrays. Typical of very many, the Joads are driven off the land by far away banks and set out on a journey to California to find a better life. However the journey breaks up the family, their dreams are not realized and their fortunes disappear. What promised to be the land of milk and honey turns to sour grapes. The hopes and dreams of a generation turned to wrath. Steinbeck opens up this catastrophe for public scrutiny.
The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption resulting from materialism (money) and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel.
Having greater speed and capacity is important; however how a business uses this new power determines the success of big data. Several advantages are factored into the use and application of big data. First of all, working with the information gathered can now be managed with less complicated steps than with previous programs. Since there is a large quantity of information cultivated, a requirement is to allow end users to find the appropriate information quickly. Big data applications can be run by non-information technology employees. The information is able to be manipulated efficiently as self-service analytic programs are being cultivated for all executives to have the ability to gain easy access. Charts, infographics, and dashboards are now accessible to more than the information technology specialists. The next application advantage is the evolution of data analysis methods and ...
Is it right for a machine’s calculated decision should be versed against human’s natural intuition and discretion. If a stick is in the middle of the road the car will automatically stop with no warning causing the driver behind to ...
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