John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is a classic American novel that shows the difficulties migrant workers had to go through during the Great Depression. The novel’s intercalary chapters use setting, syntax and other literary elements to depict the hardships that migrant families went through and to create a tone of despair in the story.
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By using both syntax and diction, Steinbeck develops a tone of despair in the Intercalary Chapter 25 of the grapes of wrath. This chapter takes place in a dry, desolate land in the midst of drought, Steinbeck describes the terrain as "gray mountains and brown mountains, dry and rocky, rising toward each other until they caught the yellow daylight" (Steinbeck, 2006, p. 325). Using diction Steinbeck creates a tone of despair by describing the uninhabitable terrain and conditions that the migrant workers must endure in order to survive. Steinbeck builds onto
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Namely, a chapter called route 66. Figurative language such as diction is used to highlight how little the migrants truly had, this chapter exposes imbalances of society. For instance in this chapter it says (in reference to the migrants) “And the good earth that had borne them, strengthened them, was their only possession. For a man who had nothing, possessing nothing was difficult too.” This sentence uses figurative language to develop the idea that even holding on to nothing was hard for the migrant workers. Steinbeck used this quote to allow the reader to visualize how indescribably difficult the migrant workers struggles are, to the point where they can barely hold on to nothing. This effect would not be possible without the use of the intercalary chapter to assist the reader in getting a deeper understanding of migrant
1)The American Dream, the idea that lures in thousands of foreigners into the United States yearly. The hopes of second chances, profound prosperity, success by hard work and new beginnings. In the Grapes of Wrath by John Stainflied and The Jungle by Uptown Sinclair, both families in this book are not exception. Soon, these inspired immigrants learn the disastrous effects of being the “lower class” under the control of the rich, the government and the landowners. Both of the book’s themes___ the idea that the most damage both families in these two novels endured was not a direct *result* by those of authority, but in reality *( direct result by their own inclination,,,,)
During the 1930’s thousands of Dust Bowl migrant workers made their way from the central plain into California seeking work. In their search for work and some form of income many of the migrants and their families ended up in Hoovervilles, which were makeshift roadside camps that were greatly impoverished. Steinbeck was able to travel through the labor camps and recorded the horrible living conditions of the migrant workers. The collection of these recordings was published as Harvest Gypsies. During the tours of the labor camps he saw the oppression of the workers first hand in addition to workers being demoralized by wealthy land owners.
American author, John Steinbeck, in an American realist novel titled “Grapes of Wrath” (1939), demonstrates how man gets stuck being controlled by a bigger power. Steinbeck supports his claim through the use of rhetorical strategies, such as, personification, repetition, and dialogue. Steinbeck's purpose is to demonstrate how man gets stuck in the relentless cycle of powerlessness. Steinbeck uses a desperate tone and old-fashioned language to appeal to the readers of the 20th century. Steinbeck begins by making the Bank come to life through personification.
It evokes an image of stress and worry as well as a hope through faith for a better life. It goes on to say: “The ones who are lost to God and mothers/may take the fields/the dry fields” (20-21). The reference to “dry fields” emphasizes the heat and lack of rain and also illustrates the unpleasant working condition. This also symbolizes how they are bound to the island with no other options, trapped.
In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck describes a pair of Depression-era children as they rush “immediately to the candy case” inside a diner, staring at the sweets “not with hope or … desire, but with a kind of wonder that such things could be” (51-52). This heartbreaking image of two poor boys staring at candy in awe elicits empathy because it implies that their parents are struggling to provide for them and that they have never eaten candy due to the hardship and poverty they were raised in. Similarly, Steinbeck elicits empathy in “The Harvest Gypsies” as he chronicles the unsanitary living conditions of California migrant workers during the 1930s. One family’s rotting tent is “full of flies … buzzing about the foul clothes of the children” and a baby, “who has not been bathed” for days (41). The image of flies swarming around the tent evokes empathy for the workers, who have to endure the pests on a daily basis, because it suggests disease, poverty, and feelings of disgust and hopelessness.
Change. Many people are scared of change, and many are eager for it. This is what causes disputes among those with different opinions about change. Whether it 's an issue from decades ago or weeks ago people will start to want action. After all isn 't it time for revolution?
While an open form of dialogue emphasizes a connection and openness of situation it also lacks a specific aspect that can make it hard to understand. This lack of information is balanced with the Joad family whose interactions give more depth to Steinbeck’s representation of the Great Depression. The balance between a broader and specific description and portrayal of experiences create a more complete story that has a better chance of connecting with the
Furthermore, in Steinbeck’s excerpt from “The Harvest Gypsies,” the way migrant workers are perceived is shown as well. For example, Steinbeck explains how migrant workers “have come into the country where, because of the movement necessary to make a living, they are not allowed any vote whatever, but are rather considered a properly unprivileged class” (Steinbeck, “Harvest”). Migrant workers are seen as an “unprivileged class,” highlighting the true image a majority of America perceives migrant workers as. They only wish to find work to provide for their family or themselves, but instead, the opinions of Americans influence their ability to be fulfilled in life. Therefore, the status and image of migrant workers, fictional or real, highlight the inability to truly feel accomplished or content with one’s
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays that migrant workers in the Great Depression do not value life in all of its potential. George and Lennie’s friendship is different from what the expectation is, the two of them depend on each other. On the ranch friendship has no place. The workers on the ranch view life as expendable, George and Lennie’s friendship provides an alternative in that they offer companionship to one another and share a common dream. Despite the allure of their friendship and their dream, survival of the fittest overpowers the desire for community.
The constant under-delivery of wages makes finding a real home almost impossible. Many families settled and lived out of tents or camps that were in terrible conditions. The wages made it impossible to settle down and own land. Not only could migrant workers not find a workable wage but they struggled to find food. In the GOW Interchapters, Steinbeck details how the landowners had a policy where “the food must rot, must be forced to rot”(8) so that the profit margins would stay high due to the continued unsatisfied demand for food.
John Steinbeck, in the novel, Grapes of Wrath, identifies the hardships and struggle to portray the positive aspects of the human spirit amongst the struggle of the migrant farmers and the devastation of the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck supports his defense by providing the reader with imagery, symbolism and intense biblical allusions. The author’s purpose is to illustrate the migrant farmers in order to fully exploit their positive aspects in the midst of hardships. Steinbeck writes in a passionate tone for an audience that requires further understanding of the situation.
Steinbeck suggests that isolation unfamiliar to migrant workers by choosing to make relationships more unnatural and prominent. By doing so, Steinbeck is able to show that workers
The tone of chapter 11 in John Steinbeck's, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is sympathetic, sad and hopeless. His word choice and syntax show how the sad houses were left to decay in the weather. His use of descriptive words paints a picture in the reader's mind. As each paragraph unfolds, new details come to life and adds to the imagery. While it may seem unimportant, this intercalary chapter shows how the effects of the great depression affected common households.
It serves as a means to expose the oppressive conditions, exploitative practices, and societal indifference they encounter. Additionally, this chapter enables Steinbeck to highlight the resilience and strength of the migrant community in the face of such adversity. The intended audience for the speaker in Chapter 12 comprises both contemporary readers and society at large. By presenting the hardships endured by the Joads and their fellow migrants, Steinbeck aims to elicit compassion and challenge prevailing societal attitudes.
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the chapters alternate between two perspectives of a story. One chapter focuses on the tenants as a whole, while the other chapter focuses specifically of a family of tenants, the Joads, and their journey to California. Chapter 5 is the former and Steinbeck does an excellent job of omniscient third person point of view to describe the situation. Chapter 5’s main idea is to set the conflict and let the readers make connections between Steinbeck’s alternating chapters with foreshadowing. Steinbeck is effectual in letting readers make connections both to the world and the text itself with the use of exposition, and symbolism.