Essay on Critical Response to the Grapes of Wrath - 616 Words

John Steinbeck went into writing about the Dust Bowl migration feeling that he had the responsibility to convey the problem correctly. The Grapes of Wrath not only works as a call to action in favor of the masses of migrant workers that were forced to live in poverty, but also expresses several other messages about mankind itself. Steinbeck uses powerful imagery, unique and suspenseful structure, dramatic tone, and compelling symbolism to effectively squeeze a mountain of an issue into pages of text. The Grapes of Wrath is structured with short chapters pertaining to the whole mass of migrants and longer chapters directed towards the actions of the Joad family. The styles of writing change dramatically between the two types of chapters,†¦show more content†¦This is most likely due to the fact that the emotions affected Steinbeck when he witnessed their tragedies, and also due to him thinking it best to tell their story through their own emotions. Steinbeck also uses symbolism to convey complex concepts in his novel. The first symbol in the novel is the land turtle. The turtle struggles along, being targeted by one of the drivers as it strives across the road, just as the family struggles as it moves west and becomes a victim of the selfish Californians. The next symbol is the tractors sent by the banks, representing the dehumanization of the farmers forced west. The tractors send the families into a world where they are treated like animals, and are forced to live like animals. Another symbol is found in Jim Casy, who becomes the Christ-like figure in the novel. Although he denies being a preacher, he spreads his ideas and thoughts among the people around him. After his unjust murder, which is another Christ-like attribute, Tom follows his ideas and tells Ma hes going to put them into practice, like those who followed Christ. Steinbeck uses these symbols to set up his themes in the novel, which support his overall message. The Grapes of Wrath is known for its great ability to sum of the era of the Great Depression, supported by Steinbecks balanced infusion of the appropriate structure, tone, imagery, and symbolism. Although this novel was written in the 1930s, its message willShow MoreRelatedThe Grapes Of Wrath And Virginia Woolf s Mrs. Dalloway1485 Words   |  6 Pagespeople were forced to adapt to unfamiliar and changing circumstances. The effects of these events were especially felt in the United States and Britain, and the two countries set the scene for John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. The Grapes of Wrath recounts the tale of the Joad family, farm owners who, after being forced off their land by big business, head west to California in search of work only to find discrimination and further hardship. 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The critical essay explains how the migratory ranch worker is basically the Lord’s curse that came upon Cain: â€Å"When thou tillest the ground, it shall not he nceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.† Basically,Read MoreTheme Of Creation And Expulsion Of Cain From The Garden Of Eden Essay2550 Words   |  11 Pagestalking in relation to fellowship or friendship. When we see the relationship between the two main characters, we come to realize that they need each other and if they are without their second half, they are prone to experiencing this aloneness. The critical essay explains how the migratory ranch worker is basically the Lord’s curse that came upon Cain: â€Å"When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.† Basically,Read MoreDeath of a Salesman Analysis Essay2107 Words   |  9 Pagesis Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman which describes the tragedy of the average person in America. A number of other writers also draw the inability to capture the American Dream. J ohn Steinbeck demonstrates in his highly acclaimed novel The Grapes of Wrath how hard economic times can devastate the typical American family and their struggle for the American Dream. Similarly, Scott Fitzgerald exhibits Jay Gatsby’s vain venture to realize the American Dream in The Great Gatsby. 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Naturalistic fiction in the 1930s such as Stein-beck s The Grapes of Wrath included, then, a transformation from an inherent protection of oneself and one s family to an increased awareness of a responsibility to others, demonstrated when Rose of Sharon shares her mother s milk with a starving stranger (15). In the