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The novel The Grapes of Wrath is in many ways a one-of-a-kind piece of literature. This work is set up unlike any other book, written in a series of chapters and inter-chapters, which do a remarkable job of informing the reader of the travels the characters in the book are going through. Not only does the story focus on the problems one family goes through, but explains the problem is happening to many more civilians than the story focus's on. Steinbeck does not leave out a single detail about the Joad family and their journey to California, and that in itself is what makes his writing so entertaining. Not only is this a very powerful topic to write about, but the remarkable writing style of author John Steinbeck makes this book a masterpiece.…
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John Steinbeck passionately describes a time of unfair poverty, unity, and the human spirit in the classic, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel tells of real, diverse characters who experience growth through turmoil and hardship. Jim Casy- a personal favorite character- is an ex-preacher that meets up with a former worshiper, Tom Joad. Casy continues a relationship with Tom and the rest of the Joads as they embark on a journey to California in the hopes of prosperity and possibly excess. Casy represents how the many situations in life impact the ever-changing souls of human- beings and the search within to discover one's true identity and beliefs. Casy, however, was much more complex than the average individual. His unpredjudiced, unified, Christ-like existence twists and turns with every mental and extraneous disaccord.…
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In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck brings to the reader a variety of diverse and greatly significant characters. However, the majority of each characters' individuality happens to lie within what they symbolize in the microcosm of the Joad family and their acquaintances, which itself stands for the entire migrant population of the Great Depression era. One such character is that of Jim Casey, a former preacher and long-time friend of the Joads. In this story, Casey represents a latter-day Christ figure who longs to bring religious stability to the burgeon of migrant families facing West.…
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In The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the narrator explains how a social issue affected the Joad family. The realistic novel mimics life and offers social commentary too. It presents many windows on real life in Midwest America in the 1930s. Throughout the 1930s, America was trapped in the worst economic era ever—The Great Depression. The Joad family is struggling to find salvation during this tough time period. Because of this, they must travel from Oklahoma to California in order to start a new life. The Great Depression affected everyone in the United States, some people worse than others. Steinbeck uses several different strategies to interpret the social issue during this time period. By using the literary techniques of setting, tone/mood, and dialogue/language, Steinbeck composes a creative commentary on the Great Depression and how it affected the lives of Americans.…
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The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most important novels ever written. The book documents the migration of the Joad family. With the Great Depression spreading through America, the Joads were forced to look for economic opportunities in California. Throughout the book, author John Steinbeck shares his view of personal spirituality and how it is the basis for an improved society. He presents to us a man with bold new ideas, a foreshadowing of the rough road ahead, and the all-cleansing power of disaster and hardship in this complex American classic.…
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Steinbeck is constantly alternating his narration from chapter to chapter to give numerous points of views to the reader. This allows perspective in the book and helps create a different atmosphere. In the novel, the author narrates from a third person limited point of view in most chapters, which allows the reader access to the character’s feelings, thoughts, and experiences, as well as background information on people, nature, and society. Although, the majority of the chapters in the novel are not revolved around a single character, but the life of the Joad family as a whole as they travel through their journey. For instance, “Al sat bent over the wheel, proud and serious and efficient, and Pa and Uncle John, as befitted the heads of the clan, had the honor seats beside the driver” illustrates the novel’s third person limited point of view (Steinbeck 95). However, Steinbeck also uses first and second person narrative on a few chapters to explain historical context. For example, Chapter 7 changes perspective to the first person view of an untrustworthy car salesman. He states, “God, if I could only get a hundred jalopies. I don't care if they run or not” (Steinbeck 63). These two quotes demonstrate the transition of the viewpoint of the Joad family’s…
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Tom Joad begins the novel with self-seeking aims, but with the ex-preacher Jim Casy as a mentor, he evolves into an idealistic group leader. Tom first meets Jim on his way home from jail. There begins a lasting friendship with the verbose preacher, who is going through a belief makeover and steadily moving toward the Emersonian oversoul including all people in a general spirit of human love and kinship. Tom is steadily angered…
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An effective way writers demonstrate the moral values of a society is by not telling the story from one in the society, but from the point of view of a person alienated from it. This method reveals small things that one in the society would not notice and provides different insights only one from outside the society can notice. Such is the case in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Tom Joad's alienation from the rich Californian landowners shows that money is the top priority of those who own land, while the poor, assumed-worthless families are on the opposite end of the spectrum.…
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The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, mainly focuses on life during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in America. It follows the Joad family, a family of Oklahoma farmers, who are traveling to the west. The novel explores the strength and goodness of the human spirit and the meaning of family and community in the face of depressing circumstances. The people who are portrayed in The Grapes of Wrath are bound together by their shared unfortunate circumstances. Throughout the novel, there is a community of refugees that is created who, otherwise, may never have been in community with others.…
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The novels protagonist, Tom Joad is a simple man who has recently been released from prison. He is not sophisticated. He acts as he does, and does as he acts. He speaks in a dialect like everyone else in the novel, and he is easy to understand. Steinbeck wanted him to be relatable to others reading the novel. His writing differs from others that have been popular such as Dickens and Shakespeare. No reader could easily identify the direct emotions and understand perfectly in those novels/plays. Readers can relate to Tom Joad and understand him like no other character before. Tom Joad says a very meaningful qoute that explains his character. “The last clear definite function of man—muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need—this is man.” Joad is just a relatable, strong, hard-working Man who has values.…
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It is 1930; the bank has evicted you and your family off a farm that has belonged to your family for generation. Rumors claim there is an abundance of work in California, without much thought, your family packs their bags and heads to California. Once you reach California, you find out everything is a lie. The once described “Golden State” is now a wasteland plagued with poor living conditions, low wages, and violence.…
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The residents of shantytowns in The Grapes of Wrath as well as modern day face discrimination as a result of their lifestyle throughout their searches for work, their exposure to violence, and their desire for a better life. Both modern day tent cities and Hoovervilles of the past face many obstacles and judgements. Prejudices against homelessness hinders the workforce, which therefore hinders the economy. As a result, these prejudices against the “violent bums” of both Hooverville and tent city residents cause entire economies to suffer needlessly. Additionally, both communities share similar goals for improved life. Despite their dreams, bias against both shantytowns impacts the productivity of their inhabitants, which therefore impacts…
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The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck is a narrative story following the journey of Tom Joad and his family. In between many narrative chapters, there are intercalary chapters as well. These chapters are inserted between the main storyline of the novel. The intercalary chapters are helpful to the novel; the chapters provide insight on the setting and living conditions of the time period; they also give readers a better chance to connect with the novel by fully understanding the story.…
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The Grapes of Wrath is about the Joads family and their journey during the Great Depression to California to find much needed work. During the journey, they experience excessive hardships that cause that an uprooting of many of the family members. Despite what they endure they hope for a bright future. Steinbeck uses different narrative styles and other elements to establish a strong sense of realism and authenticity to the novel. He uses intercalary chapters to give the readers a real grasp of what happened during the Great Depression. Steinbeck uses different language also. The characters talk very slang and improper which allows the readers to better understand how they spoke in the 1930’s.…
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Joseph Campbell once said that “one way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that.” The role of human in this world is to help make life better for others.…
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