The Grapes of Wrath Analysis

The Grapes of Wrath AnalysisThe Grapes of Wrath, describes the difficulty of migrant travails during the prominent Depression. written by, washbowl Steinbeck, this original went on to receive umteen awards. Gen periodlly viewed as Steinbecks best and most striving novel, The Grapes of Wrath was publish in 1939. Stating the falsehood of an expelled Oklahoma family and their fight to form a reestablished sustenance in calcium at the peak of the Great Depression, the book captures the sorrow and fear of the chicaneledge domain with come in this time-period. The bank forec retrogresss on the Joads get, so they decide to imprint westside in search of new jobs. Though the Joads travel west in expectations of creating a restored life, the American woolgather avoids them, their journey to calcium proves to be despicable and disappointing. Though they find oneself some comfort in a encamp and withaltuall(a)y get jobs, the life they dream of has barely slipped further aw ay. The parallels amidst rear Steinbecks life and the narrative story he carved be app bent and distinct. Steinbeck used imagery to paint a picture of stream world situations that were going on in his life during the 1930s. His goal in piece of music this novel was to paint a picture and make his readers ascertain the life of the spread Bowl immigrants. Though non a Dust Bowl immigrant himself, he spent a lot of time with them and got to kat once their anguish well. From the first chapters, to the unforgettable ending, The Grapes of Wrath remains a debated domesticate in critical discussions, with themes and a setting that are uniquely AmericanBeginning to write the novel in the mid to late 1930s, Steinbeck was border by p everywherety, and hardship, and as are the Joads in the novel. Steinbeck modeled the setting to set proscribed how things really were for migrant weeers during this period. The Grapes of Wrath takes place during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. After be ing released from clink, protagonist, turkey cock Joad, quickly realizes that his familys farm has been repossessed by the bank. tom finds the family at Uncle Johns home as they get ready for a tenacious journey to California in search of work, a journey legion(predicate) desperate families are also taking. R tabue 66 provides the transportation by which the migrants will go deep to California. It is the path of a people in flight, refugees from constellate and shrinking unload, from the thunder of tractors and shrinking testifyership,. from the floods that bring no richness to the land and steal what micro richness is there (Steinbeck 118).In California, there was a Hooverville on the edge of every town, where migrant individuals camp all unitedly and sustentation for one another (Steinbeck 234). The Joads experience the surroundings of a Hooverville when they cross the defect into California, There was no order in the camp little greyness tents, shacks, cars were scat tered about at random (241).Steinbeck was inspired to write the novel after researching and producing a series of articles for the San Francisco news show about migrant workers in California (Conder 248). end-to-end the 1930s, due to drought and historic period of agriculture without increase rotation or other destruction prevention, severe dust storms blew away the lives of publicy in many areas of the central plains, which developed into what is known as the, Dust Bowl. Tied with the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression, this crisis forced thousands of people, many of them agriculturalists, off their property, wandering from place to place in hunt of work to survive. Several of these people, attracted by promises of opportunity, moved to California. Although they were from several states, the term Okie coined for a indigene of Oklahoma, one of the hardest-hit areas was attached to the waves of families desperately heading West, their few remaining possessions piled mettlesome on old, barely operating vehicles. Those who made it to California found little work, poor living conditions, a great deal of resentment and prejudice, and even violence directed against them.(The Grapes of Wrath)John Steinbeck formed a fictional secret plan using current realities of the Dust Bowl. The exposition begins when tom gets out of tuck in for good behavior and he realizes that everything he left was now divergent and his family is absent as well. The conflict arises when, tom is out on parole, and he stringently cannot leave Oklahoma. However, his family is planning to move to California, where a government curriculum offers a beautiful future for emigrant sharecroppers. The entire family and Casy, a longtime(prenominal) family friend, fit into a small truck to travel across the state of matter. The upgrade action occurs when, the Joads set off for California, where many others are migrating west. As the Joads withdraw on, they begin to hear rumors t hat there arent enough jobs in California. The climax is revealed when they arrive in California. As they go from place to place, searching for work, Casy, former exalted and current friend of tom turkeys, leads a strike against the owners of Weedpatch, which in conclusion be him his life. Tom spurs to lead the people, but the Joads must leave again when Tom thoughtlessly kills the corrupt policeman who murdered Casy. The falling action is seen when the Joads move onto a cotton-picking field where Tom hides out until his wounds are healed from the conflict. The soundness occurs when the Joads come to a farm where they find a barn. Inside the barn, they find a young boy and a man. They are sick from starved, and the man is not able to eat solid foods anymore without getting ill. roseate of Sharon gives the fading man her breast, which has draw from her new-fangled put up, and comforts him with a blanket. They are all strangely at peace.The push for writing The Grapes of Wrath came out of John Steinbecks involvement of stu end and publishing Harvest Gypsies, a seven-part San Francisco News series about the plight of agricultural migrant workers in California (Steinbecks Use). While confidential information that research, Steinbeck met and traveled with a man named Tom collins, the autobus of the Arvin Migrant Camp (informally known as Weedpatch Camp) (Steinbecks Use). The relationship Steinbeck formed with Collins grew between 1936 and 1938, when the two began traveling over the San Joaquin valley to gather culture and offer aid to migrant families in crisis. He wrote about the Okie hegira by the seat of his pants, as it happened (OConnell 60). The Associated Farmers of California terminated the book as a pack of lies and communist propaganda (The Grapes of Wrath). Steinbeck was put under surveillance of the FBI and stock many death threats. The book was banned in many libraries and copies were burn down in towns across The fall in States (Conder 2 48). Steinbecks speech, is found in Tom Joad, the novels protagonist. ( McCarthy) Tom Joad is the novels protagonist .Joad is first seen coming home to Oklahoma after jail time for killing a man in a brawl, provided to find an overcome land with local farms being repossessed by the banks. Tom and his family begin on their trek to California over highway 66. Tom Joad, Steinbecks figure of smoldering witness, the passive observer turned violent activist and communitarian conscience, has been grabbed by figures right and left to stand for something, represent something, or, in recent vintage, to represent nothing at all, rendered void of the political meaning intentionally invested in him by John Steinbeck (and others) (Simon and Deverell 181). Through Tom Joad, Steinbeck builds anger and a sense of injustice over the migrants misery. (McCarthy)Rose of Sharon is always watching out for the greatest interests of her unborn child and its seems to symbolize comely instinct and protect ion. Steinbeck departs from strictly Biblical imagery in portraying Rose of Sharon as an man mother. (Rombold 161). Her natural protective nature over her baby, makes it even more severe when it is delivered as a stillborn. By permitting the stillborn child go upon the waters in its apple box, Uncle John inverts the story of baby Moses let go in a basket upon the Nile (Rombold 160). The symbolism of the earth mother is also a strong context within which to understand the closing scene (Rombold 162). Steinbeck ends the novel by having Rose of Sharon nurse a dying man from her breast. Rose of Sharon loosened one side of the blanket and expose her breast. She looked up and across the barn, and her lips came together and smiled mysteriously (Steinbeck 455). A symbol of entrust is understood by Rose of Sharons fostering actions in reviving the starving man. By ending the novel this way, Steinbeck continues his literary references to the Bible as it provides typic resurrection of humanity and steps towards societies regrowth ( Taliawaite).Jim Casy is an ex-preacher who knew the Joads as far back as Toms puerility, claims that he has totally given up preaching I aint preachin no more. (Steinbeck 20). Casy now places his faith in the astonishing power of human spirit. Steinbeck is representing Casey as a parallel to Jesus as his character carries optimism to the people that are in misery (Taliawaite). A more literal similarity that Steinbeck indicates to is his name, Jim Casey, which fatefully, has the same initials as Jesus Christ. I aint sayin Im equivalent Jesus. further I got tired manage Him, an I got mixed up like Him, an I went into the wilderness like Him. (Steinbeck 81). Although he still did not believe himself to be a preacher, he had the courage to stand up to the corruption and the unfairness. Casey planned on lead story the people in a strike that would help the laborers attain logical wages however he gets murdered during the objection. The preacher, ony he was a-leadin the strike. They come for him. They killed im. broken in his head (Steinbeck 390). Like Jesus who affordd himself on the cross, Caseys death is a sacrifice for the wellbeing of others. Caseys last words were You don know what youre a-doin (Steinbeck 386) which can be paralleled to Jesus last words. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do (Luke 2324) (Rombold 157). Casey dies with honor and self-respect, as Jesus did.John Steinbeck says that in growing up he absorbed the Bible through his skin (Rombold 146). Characters from the book imitate real life people suffering through the Depression. They had a undercoat to believe that there was a higher power watching over them during this time of hardship (Rombold 146). While Steinbeck used Biblical references, he chooses to harbour God as an absent character, For Steinbeck, the people themselves are the agents of change and the parties responsible for(p) for action. His use of Biblical al lusions which generalize and deepen the Joads experience within the usance of the mythos, place this novel within a very broad context. (Rombold 147). Readers were surprise by the notion of neglecting God, but they had to consider the source, and learned to accept that it was Steinbecks (Rombold146). place down and place are so more than just passive settings in The Grapes of Wrath. A mans connection to land is a very important theme, Mans enjoy of the land, his need not so much to own it as to cover it, to sink his hands and feet in it, to cry for joy when the corn is peeking through and to sleep like a dead man when the last ladle is in the silo- this is the strongest force in the book (OConnell 59). Despite the ruggedness of the landscape, it develops the background in contradiction of a wide range of human concern. Famers and country men had a very strong relationship to the property they grew to know. When they put down their land, the Joads not only lose their means of support, but they also lose their home. California is supposed to be a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of chance and change(McCarthy). For a farmer, land is opportunity, and therefore land is money. The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck endorses the philosophy that economic, legal, religious, and societal forces largely control individual destiny, but lays out a philosophy to rise above those forces and achieve personal independence (Conder 260).The American dream is unattainable to immigrants. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck often challenges whether or not California is the, promise land. He questioned if the whole thing of life, liberty, and the pursuit of rejoicing are achievable. For so many, the American Dream is a capitalist dream. Instead, Steinbeck, through his characters and themes, sought the dream of unity and compassion. Through Jim Casy and Tom Joad, it is seen that their passion lays in standing up for what is right, rather than sitting back and taking the hit. But that wasnt always the case for them, towards the beginning of the novel, all of them were eager to reach this so called, promise land. But eventually, they came to the realization that they were indeed just chasing an unrealistic dream. The Joad family is leading down something of a problematic golden road- a path of operate from destitution to an ambiguous Californian deliverance. when the only option becomes putting the family on the road to a strange and unknown destination, problems are compounded (Spangler). The Joads grim letdown to find supportive work and pay led to economic decay, decrease the likelihood that the American Dream would come to completion. Arthur G. Neal stated, the economic hardships after the Great Depression fell disproportionately on the family unit (Spangler). Throughout all the economic struggle and failures on finding the American Dream, the Joads managed to stick together through the triumph. John Steinbeck emphasized the theme of the unattainabl e American Dream however, he added in that maybe people can achieve their own dream just by sticking together and never bountiful up.From the Joad family leaving Oklahoma, to the struggles in California, The Grapes of Wrath remains a moving and an exceedingly well written piece of art. The plot, setting, and characters are very expressive, and Steinbecks fascinating writing techniques give the themes of the book a distinct feel. The parallels between John Steinbecks life and the narrative story he carved are apparent and distinct. Throughout the 1930s, real people with real problems faced issues like what the Joad faced. John Steinbeck wrote a brilliant piece work in expressing the economic and emotional anguish the Oakies experienced.ChronologyFebruary 27,1902- John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst II and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. He spent his childhood in the Salinas Valley (John Steinbeck).1919- Steinbec k attended classes at Stanford University, and left without a degree. During these years Steinbeck dropped out for several months, and was employed intermittently as a sales clerk, farm laborer, ranch hand, and factory worker (John Steinbeck).January 14,1930- John Steinbeck marries Carol Henning (John Steinbeck). wintertime of 1934- He gathered information on farm labor unions. Interviews labor organizer in Seaside(John Steinbeck).April 1939-The Grapes of Wrath, was published by Viking (John Steinbeck).Spring of 1941- He garbled from Carol fall, later he moves to New York City with singer Gwyndolyn conger eel (John Steinbeck).1943- He marries Gwyn Conger in New Orleans (John Steinbeck).August 2, 1944- birth of first son, Thom (John Steinbeck).June 12, 1946 birth of second son, John IV (John Steinbeck).September 14, 1964- presented with United States Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon B. Johnson (John Steinbeck).December 20, 1968- dies of arteriosclerosis in New York (John Stei nbeck).Work CitedConder, J John. Grapes of Wrath. Literary Themes for Students, Vol. 1, modify by Anne MarieHacht, 2007, pp. 248-263.John Steinbeck A Brief Chronology. Monterey County diachronic Society, Local HistoryPages, Montrerey Country Historical Society , 2010, mchsmuseum.com/steinbeckchronology.html. Date accessed 8 January, 2017.McCarthy, Paul. John Steinbeck. Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Sharon R.Gunton, vol. 21, Gale, 1982. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRCsw=wu=pikev=2.1id=GALE%7CH1100000796it=rasid=427c16e5f57e22fd0bc6c3cbf3811a0c. Originally published in John Steinbeck, by Paul McCarthy, Ungar, 1980. Date accessed 9 Nov, 2016.OConnel, Mike. An American Farmer Looks at The Grapes of Wrath. The SteinbeckReview, vol. 6, no. 2, 2009, pp. 56-63. www.jstor.org/stable/41582115. Date accessed November 14, 2016.Rombold, Tamara. Biblical everting in The Grapes of Wrath. College Literature, vol. 14,no. 2, 1987, pp. 146-166. www.jstor.org /stable/25111734. . Date accessed November 19, 2016.Simon, Bryant, and William Deverell. Come Back, Tom Joad Thoughts on a CaliforniaDreamer. California History, vol. 79, no. 4, 2000, pp. 180-191. www.jstor.org/stable/25463704. Date accessed November 10, 2016Spangler, Jason. WeRe on a Road to Nowhere Steinbeck, Kerouac, and the Legacy of theGreat Depression. Studies in the Novel, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 19 Feb. 2009, muse.jhu.edu/article/259422. Accessed 14 Feb. 2017.Steinbecks Use of Nonfiction Sources in The Grapes of Wrath EDSITEment.EDSITEment The scoop up of the Humanities on the Web, 17 Sept. 2012, edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/steinbecks-use-nonfiction-sources-grapes-wrathsect-introduction. Date accessed 16 January, 2017.Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York, NY, Penguin Group, 2006.Taliawaite. A Look at Biblical Allusions. The Angry Grapes, 1 Dec. 2012,taliawaite.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/did-you-know-a-look-at-biblical-allusions/. Date accessed 5 Dece mber, 2016.The Grapes of Wrath 10 Surprising Facts about John Steinbecks Novel . The Telegraph,Telegraph Media Group, www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/john-steinbeck-grapes-of-wrath-what-you-should-know/. Date accessed 10 December, 2016.