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Ending analysis of the grapes of wrath
John steinbeck research paper
Meaning of the ending of grapes of wrath
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In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the cynosure of Chapter three is a turtle who struggles to cross a highway in the summer heat. Steinbeck gives a detailed description of this turtle because it shows that even the smallest animals struggle with the same struggles as the Joad family and all of the migrants. The turtle has to tackle hardship, life and danger. Just like the turtle, the “oakies” (the offensive nickname given to the migrants who move to California) have to deal with these tribulations come in the form of hostile climate, fate, and the fear of the unknown. The turtle must deal with a deadly drought that poses a threat to its life. In the 1930’s Dust Bowl, the Midwest is crippled by series of dust storms that damage the agricultural production of America’s “Breadbasket.” The farmer families migrated west towards California to flee the dry and desolate region. The turtle symbolically does this by trying to get to the other side of the road and relocate to a new area that has a region with more lush vegetation. This determination to move on to a new home is shown on page 20 where Steinbeck describes the turtle, “As the embankment grew steeper and steeper, the more frantic were the efforts of the land turtle” (Steinbeck 20). The turtle …show more content…
The turtle symbolically represents the hardship, fate, and the fear of the unknown within the “oakies.” The turtle’s choice to cross the highway represents the choice that the migrants made to go to a better place. The struggle uphill and the “attack” of the vehicles show that fate tries to stop the turtle. The Joads had their own chance of bad fate by their family splitting up, members dying, and Jim Casey going to jail. Resultantly, the turtle does a very important job for Steinbeck as a “macrocosmic” way to show the plight of the migrant families through a different
When times get tough, many people turn away from everyone and everything. It must be part of human nature to adopt an independent attitude when faced with troubles. It is understandable because most people do not want to trouble their loved ones when they are going through problems, so it is easier to turn away than stick together. Maybe their family is going through a rough patch and they reason they would be better off on their own. This path of independence and solitude may not always be the best option for them or their family, though. Often times it is more beneficial for everyone to work through the problem together. It is not always the easiest or most desirable option, but most times it is the most efficient and it will get results in the long run. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck makes this point very clear through several characters. Many characters throughout
In the 1930s, America’s Great Plains experienced a disastrous drought causing thousands of people to migrate west. As their land was devastated by the Dust Bowl, deprived farmers were left with few options but to leave. The Grapes of Wrath depicts the journey of the Joads, an Oklahoma based family which decides to move to California in search of better conditions. Coming together as thirteen people at the start, the Joads will undertake what represents both a challenge and their only hope. Among them are only four women embodying every ages: the Grandma, the Mother and her two daughters, the pregnant Rose of Sharon and the young Ruthie. Appearing in Chapter Eight the mother, who is referred to as “Ma”, holds a decisive role in Steinbeck’s novel. She is, along with her son Tom (the main character of the book), present from the early stage of the story until its very end. We will attempt to trace back her emotional journey (I) as well as to analyze its universal aspects and to deliver an overall impression on the book (II).
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.
Steinbeck strongly portrays the Joads and other displaced "Okies" as being animalistic. They often talk about their predicament in simplistic terms that suggest that they are initially not conscious of the circumstances that force them to leave Oklahoma. Muley Graves, for instance, tells Tom Joad and Jim Casy that the rest of the Joads, whose house has been destroyed by a tractor, are "piled in John's house like gophers in a winter burrow (Steinbeck 47)." This presents the image of a family of animals that have clustered together, hoping to fend off a predator with their greater numbers. They see the societal problems around them in terms of a predator as well; on one occasion, Casy asks a man at a service station, "You ever seen one a them Gila monsters take hold, mister? (Chop him in two) an' his head hangs on. An' while he's layin' there, poison is drippin' into the hole he's made (Steinbeck 132)." This refers to the devastating, unbreakable grip of the socioeconomic forces at work above them (Lisca 96). A particularly important element that represents the migrants on a naturalistic level is the turtle (Lisca 97). Introduced in the first interchapter, the turtle trudges along wearily but steadily on a relentless search for a better place to life. In a similar way, the Joads are constantly on the move. They do not really comprehend why they have to travel, yet they accept it (Owens 131), and are determined to reach the promising paradise of California. Neither the turtle nor its human counterparts will be stopped by any obstacle.
Betrayal is being disloyal to others and even oneself, therefore betrayal can cause many emotional fallouts and baggage within relationships. In the story, The World on the Turtle's Back, betrayal is a huge factor in how the story plays out, as it is in the song The Letter by Kehlani, Genesis 4:1-16, and Matthew 26:14-16 . Three ways in which betrayal is portrayed in the story, the song, and the Bible is by the actions people take to one another, disconnections in relationships that lead to betrayal, and emotional baggage.
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.
Besides Johnson’s obvious personification of the animals, his use of metaphors and imagery strengthened the plots theme. When Tilford returned to the shoppe, no animal dared make a sound. Even Berkeley stood in his tracks and waited upon Tilford’s next move, but he never expected Tilford to praise him for the chaos that ensued while he was absent. “Reaching down, he stroked Berkeley’s head. And at last he said, like God whispering to Samuel: Well done” (Johnson 349). The image of Tilford being analogous to God is fitting, given the governing power he represents throughout the story. Johnson’s use of not only this metaphor, but also this image of God reigning down his wrath upon his people only to praise them for an unlikely outcome allows the reader to make real-world connections. Likewise, it creates a comforting image of Tilford rather than a cold and political portrait. The point of view of this story remains third person omniscient; the story is told from an outside voice, but it also feels as if the narrator could be God himself. Each animal’s thoughts are projected perfectly into the story, showing the many differing perspectives revealed when authority is absent. “Menagerie” also uses Tortoise to foreshadow the complete anarchy to come. As Berkeley and his foil, Monkey, worked to free all the animals, each animal darted out of their cages except for Tortoise, who remained solitary within his cage. “Tortoise had escaped the year before, remaining at large for a week, and then he returned mysteriously on his own, his eyes strangely unfocused, as if he’d seen the end of the world” (Johnson 346). Tortoise’s escape reveals the reason behind his desire to remain submissive throughout the whole conundrum; He saw a world without a master and decided he wanted to be without chaos. In Tortoise’s leave of absence, he recognized the people outside the Pet
Steinbeck’s novel demonstrates the value of members in a society to work in unison to achieve a common goal. Without each other, the Joads will have no way of coping with the loss of their land in Oklahoma and reach their destination in California. Unity as a family is the only option they have to endure this hopeless calamity. In addition, the collapse of the family results in their initial purpose and intention to fall apart. The Great Depression was an era that was detrimental to many individuals. It affected farmers drastically as it forced them to look for work elsewhere in the country. Regardless of how severe conditions were, many remained sanguine in anticipation of a brighter tomorrow.
Tom Joad is an ex-convict that was only into his own self-interest and lived by a mantra of live your life day by day and not concerned with the future, to becoming a man who thinks about the future and someone with morals and an obligation to help others. Ma Joad is a typical woman of the early 1900’s whose main role was a mother only with a role of caring and nurturing. Later in the novel, she becomes an important figure for the family and is responsible for making decisions in keeping the family together and emphasizes the importance of unity. Another important transition in the book is the family starting off as a single close knit unit to depending on other families to survive. This common interest and struggle bonded the community of individual families to a single one. Steinbeck wrote this novel very well, by having great character dynamics and development that displays the characters strengths and also their
In later chapters, Steinbeck describes the turtle as he gets picked up by Tom Joad and tries to sneakily crawl away. The turtle represents the migrant workers and their journey to California through determination, hardship, and feeling out of place. During the time we learn about the turtle, it faces several hardships. First, the turtle attempts to cross the road, “Pushing hind legs strained and slipped, boosting the shell along, and the horny head protruded as far as the neck could stretch,” (Steinbeck, 21). Second, the turtle had to try to turn over itself after being hit purposely by a car, “Lying on its back.
The turtle is a metaphor for the working class farmers whose stories and struggles are recounted in The Grapes of Wrath. In Chapter 3, the turtle plods along dutifully, but is consistently confronted with danger and setbacks. Significantly, the dangers posed to the turtle are those of modernity and business. It is the intrusion of cars and the building of highways that endanger the turtle. The truck that strikes it is a symbol of big business and commerce. “The turtle entered a dust road and jerked itself along, drawing a wavy shallow trench in the dust with its shell” (pg 21) shows that the Joad family that will soon be introduced will experience similar travails as the turtle, as they plod along wishing only to survive, yet are brutally pushed aside by corporate interests.
In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, a fictitious migrant family, the Joads, travel west in search of a new life away from the tragedies of the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma. Along the way, Steinbeck adds a variety of minor characters with whom the Joads interact. Steinbeck created these minor characters to contrast with the Joad’s strong will power and to reflect man’s fear of new challenges, and to identify man’s resistance to change. Three minor characters who fulfill this role are Muley Graves, Connie Rivers, and the tractor driver.
The first notable example of the turtle’s obstacles is shown in a simile. Ryan portrays the turtle’s movement as “graceless, like dragging/ a packing-case places” (5-6). When one is struggling to move a heavy package, one usually starts to push or pull it slowly; one is using all his strength to move it, yet the package barely moves. The lethargic movement of moving the package is similar to the slowness of the turtle. This slowness is an obstacle because it prevents the turtle from travelling far distances and escaping from predators. Nevertheless, the fact that the turtle perseveres through this struggle shows that she is
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.
Barbour, Roger W. and Ernst, Carl H. Turtles of the United States. Lexington: The Universty Press of Kentucky, 1972. Print