Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath

“As the embankment grew steeper and steeper, the more frantic were the efforts of the land turtle” (Steinbeck 15). John Steinbeck described the efforts of a land turtle making his way across a dangerous road in the novel Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck does this as a way to metaphorically emphasize the struggles of the Joad family, who lose their land in Oklahoma and move west to find work. When the Joad family finally reaches California they find little work due to the immense population of Okies moving to the West with them. This quote can also describe the Walls family in the novel The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. When she is a child, Jeannette Walls and her family develop a nomadic lifestyle because they have to leave possessions and sometimes

When informing the families that they must leave, the owner men persuade the Okies to move to California because “[t]here’s work there, and it never gets cold… [and] there’s always some kind of crop to work” (Steinbeck 34). The Joads, along with everyone else in town, head west where they plan to make a new life for themselves to recover from losing everything they once had. The family remains optimistic of the great life they will have in the west and how beautiful it will be. “Wait till we get to California. You’ll see nice country then” (Steinbeck 204). Pa Joad reminds Tom of their promising destination after Tom points out the harshness of the desert ahead. If the family didn’t remain optimistic, there would be no point to moving forward. This idea remains the same for the Walls family. The glass castle becomes the symbolic main goal of the whole family, where they can live happily and together. Jeanette looks forward to building the glass castle which helps her go along with her family’s hard lifestyle. The Walls children stay optimistic that their father will get enough money to build the Prospector and in turn be able to create the glass castle. “All we had to do was find gold, Dad said, and we were on the verge of that. Once he finished the Prospector and we struck it rich, he’d start work on our Glass Castle” (Walls

When leaving their family’s farm the Joad’s main goal on the way to California is to stick together. Ma Joad is the most persistent about this idea. Granma and Granpa both die, and the family struggles to put food on the table and survive, but together they do better than they would if they were apart, because they have each other to collectively provide for the family. Also, it remains very important for Rose of Sharon to have a family to surround and support her because she is pregnant and the rest of the family doesn’t really trust her husband, Connie. After Connie abandons Rose of Sharon, Pa Joad finally shares what the family is thinking. “Connie wasn’ no good. I seen that a long time Didn’ have no guts, jus’ too big for his overhalls” (Steinbeck 272). The Walls family also stays together throughout their travelling, even when Mom and Dad fight, or when Dad gets drunk. Staying together becomes very important to Jeanette and her siblings. They all have to deal with bullies and even instances of sexual assault and manage to protect and defend each other. “Just back off now, and everyone can walk away with all their limbs still attached” (Walls 45) Brian says to the fifth-grade bullies in Welch as he defends Jeannette. They even collectively save what money they can to escape the nomadic lifestyle and move to New