Grapes of Wrath Synthesis Essay Coretta Scott King, prominent civil rights activist and wife of Martin Luther King Jr., once stated, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members”. King argues that the real value in a community lies in how people are treated within the group rather than the communities effect on the outer world. During the Great Depression, the common experience of poverty throughout the nation brought people together to form communities that assisted each other in their aim of survival. The struggle prevalent across the working class created a culture and community that was reliant on this compassion for each other. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath elaborates on …show more content…
As the story follows the Joads in the even chapters, the odd describe how these broader concepts, hinted at with the Joads, connect to experiences in the “real world”. In one case, the novel first gives a general description of a Hooverville and what it is like to live in such conditions, than follows with a more personal story of the Joads(Chapter 19-20). The dialogue between two characters is sans quotations for the first chapter. In his decision to forgo quotation marks, Steinbeck creates a fluid, indistinguishable version of a conversation. Rather than it being about one character talking to another character, this dialogue creates an ambiguous situation that is applicable to more people. 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
John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath has become an American classic in its seventy-eight years of existence due to its accurate interpretation of the struggles faced by midwestern farmers and their journey west. The book is formatted using intercalary chapters, which tell a broader story than just the narrative. This is a strong decision that enhances the novel with expertly executed figurative language and furthers the plot by giving explanations to past events. Steinbeck’s choice to use this structure is quite beneficial and is partially to blame for the novel’s literary credibility.
“The Grapes of Wrath” takes place during the great depression: which was a substantial economic downside in United States history. At the same time, racism continues in the United States. The Okies are very talented farmers and most of them travel along route 66 to hope for a better life, but something was waiting for them that was unexpected to these people. They did not receive any governmental supports they were ignorant, and this makes native people easier to realize Okies as an outsider also they found menial and low paying jobs. Steinbeck implies that man turns against another human for the survival of the fittest; therefore, they do not mind to put another human in a situation that is challenging to survive.
As the story follows the Joads in the even chapters, the odd describe how these broader concepts, hinted at with the Joads, connect to experiences in the “real world”. In one case, the novel first gives a general description of a Hooverville and what it is like to live in such conditions, than follows with a more personal story of the Joads(Chapter 19-20). The dialogue between two characters is sans quotations for the first chapter. In his decision to forgo quotation marks, Steinbeck creates a fluid, indistinguishable version of a conversation. Rather than it being about one character talking to another character, this dialogue creates an ambiguous situation that is applicable to more people.
Oftentimes, people are unable to realize what they possess until it has been taken from them. John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath portrays an Oklahoman family of farmers forced to migrate west after their lives were crushed in the 1930 Dust Bowl. The passage near the exposition of the novel illustrates a severe dust storm followed by the family’s discovery that their hard-earned crop had been lost. This scene depicts the struggle of midwestern families during the Depression. Steinbeck demonstrates this battle for survival through the use of symbolism, imagery, and characterization.
Intercalary Chapter Literary Analysis During the Great Depression, the nation as a whole was stripped of financial security and forced into a survivalist way of living. This changed the ways that people interacted with one another and the overall mentality of society. In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is torn from their land and find themselves with nothing, a common story for migrant farmers of that time, derogatorily called “Okies” by Californians. But this is not the only group that is struggling, the entire county was in a state of panic and bruteness, no matter how “well off” they seemed to be.
In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck follows the Joad family as they suffer the hardships caused by the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. The most important lesson people can learn from the novel is the value of a human life. Although the 1930’s was a low point in American society, the ill-treatment of human beings is still relevant today. Just like Jim Casy’s philosophy, it is important to fight for the rights of the people and their dignity. There are several examples of oppression in The Grapes of wrath.
John Steinbeck has been a pillar of American literature for decades. His work, especially Grapes of Wrath and The Harvest Gypsies, helped to shed light on some of the issues that plagued California, and the rest of the United States during the Great Depression. His works accentuate the theme of the importance of community, especially when those with the power to help don 't. These novels take place during the Great Depression, a time when there were very few jobs, little stability, widespread poverty, and diminished hopes for the future. This era sets the stage on which these stories take place. During these harsh times, many people turned to the government or banks for help, but they were turned down by the banks because they wanted a profit, or they bankrupted, and the government 's resources were stretched so low they could only help few people.
In the book The Grapes of Wrath, it portrays many of the experiences being lived in the Great Depression and the Dust bowl. But, it also portrays some of the many lives being lived in the modern age today. The book makes a powerful draw to many of the readers due to the fact that America was once in this position; that almost every family was in this position during the Great Depression. Even today in the modern age, most of readers have been through the struggles of trying to survive or what their family members had to do for a better life. The book gives a lot of connection and shows deep meaning that people understand the most.
Since the book came out in 1939, everyone has had a opinion on the ending to John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. It has a very controversial ending, that Steinbeck thought would name the last nail into the coffin, so to speak, on how bad the dust bowl and moving west really was. The ending starts when the Joad family is threatened with a flood, so they make their way to a old barn where they find a boy and his old father. The boy says his father is starving, and that he can’t keep anything solid down. He needs something like soup or milk.
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.
The Joads find their motivation by helping each other through tough situations. Steinbeck shows the determination of the human spirit
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.
Due to disasters made by mankind and the natural world, many people are forced to leave their homeland in search for a new place to settle in. Just as the Joads and all the other migrant workers are constantly turned away, the refugees and immigrants of today are treated unequally and viewed as problems. John Steinbecks, The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of a family faced with prejudice and discrimination. Discrimination and prejudice are themes in this novel that are quite prevalent. During the time that Steinbeck wrote this novel, there were masses of people roaming the country in search for work.
This social philosophy preserves that human survival is dependent upon the banding together of humans to find strength in group unity and action. Now, if we elaborate a conclusion based in this scene then we can relate this topic to an economic disaster. Because, the elaboration of this theory in the film is seen in the education of the troubled (tom) and disadvantaged (Joad’s family) with the organization of unions and strikes as vehicles of group protest and change. In final consideration, “The Grapes of Wrath” emphasizes the unfair treatments that the migrants receive and how this doesn’t apply to their hardship; it diminishes them as human
In Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the emotions that wrecked the nation in the 1930s are eloquently expressed through his distinct writing style. The struggles faced by many Americans in this time period, provided Steinbeck with ample material to create his characters who battle daily for socio-economic survival. Their animalistic qualities and residence in the lower class, contribute to the novel’s naturalistic flair. Steinbeck’s emphasis on the control the environment has over its inhabitants, and their instinctive, survivalistic nature are what qualify The Grapes of Wrath as a naturalistic novel.