The Grapes of Wrath - Journey of the Joads and Humanity Essay

The Journey of the Joads and the Journey of Humanity nbsp; In Steinbecks novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the struggle of the small farmer and farmworker. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for all the poor and oppressed of our world. nbsp; The journey of the Joads represents Steinbecks message of respect for the poor and oppressed on three levels. The first is literal: he used the journey and its ever-changing environment to put the Joads through many situations. The second level is general: the journey of the Joads can be seen as the same that forced farmers to become†¦show more content†¦As each character involved in the situation reacts, we are able to see Steinbecks respect for the poor shining through. The never say die efforts of Uncle John to stop the rising flood water is one example of Steinbecks unremitting struggle theme. The constant effort of the entire Joad family to find work, even though they are poor, oppressed and hungry, show us that Steinbeck wants to show their tremendous courage and dignity. In this way, Steinbeck is able to use the journey structure to describe these fine qualities he sees and respects in the poor. nbsp; If we read a little deeper in The Grapes of Wrath, we find the journey of the Joads mirrors that of other Okies and other forced migrations in history. The journey of the Joads has its ups and downs. Migrants are not always received with open arms; they are persecuted and looked upon as not even human. For them the promised land becomes the land of despair. In many ways, the journey of the black Africans to America as slaves is similar to the dust bowl migrations. Both are forced from the land that they love by almost non-human forces. They were taken to the land of riches where they were poor. The slaves were however taken by force but the Okies were seduced by the lure of work and prosperity. nbsp; To help understand the third and deepest level of reading, we can apply a mathematical idea, that is the Fractal Idea of Sameness, that things are identical at different levels. For example, if we look at aShow MoreRelated Humanitys Journey in Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath Essay1150 Words   |  5 PagesHumanitys Journey in Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath As a major literary figure since the 1930s, Steinbeck displays in his writing a characteristic respect for the poor and oppressed. In many of his novels, his characters show signs of a quiet dignity and courage for which Steinbeck has a great admiration. For instance, in The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck describes the unrelenting struggle of the people who depend on the soil for their livelihood. One element helping give this novel an addedRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Essay697 Words   |  3 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath is the story of the experiences of the Joad family from the time of their eviction from a farm near Sallisaw, Oklahoma to their first winter in California. The Joad family’s story illustrates the hardship and oppression suffered by migrant laborers during the Great Depression. The novel begins with the description of the conditions in Dust Bowl Oklahoma that ruined the crops and instigated massive foreclosures on farmlandRead More Dynamic Characters and Survival in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath809 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath In the American epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, there are pivotal and dynamic changes that occur in the various significant characters of Jim Casy, Ma Joad, and Tom Joad. Steinbeck specifically uses these characters to show their common realizations about all of humanity, in order to demonstrate his underlying meaning about the importance of people coming together, helping each other out, and surviving. Ma Joad illustrates this ideaRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck2739 Words   |  11 PagesHeavren 15 Christian Symbolism in The Grapes of Wrath Since the first civilizations, religion has greatly influenced the development of life. It has been a constant presence in America, tracing back to the Puritans who voyaged to the New World to escape religious persecution. Centuries later, religion has retained its place in American society, being expressed in a variety of ways and particularly emanating in times of struggle and hardship. Amidst a period of great difficulty for average AmericansRead MoreSymbolism Of The Steinbeck s The Grapes Of Wrath 2259 Words   |  10 Pages Symbols In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family experiences many hardships on the journey to and in California, ranging from dying family members to a lack of sufficient food. In the third chapter of the novel, author John Steinbeck introduces a determined turtle who attempts to make its journey across a highway. The turtle is apparently nearly run over multiple times, and is actually hit by a car. This causes the turtle to be flipped on its shell, until it catches its footing and â€Å"littleRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath And The Great Gatsby1738 Words   |  7 PagesScott Fitzgerald express different opinions in their novels, The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby, respectively. Each author uses the characterization of the wealthy classes to condemn the American Dream and show how people of this time portrayed by fictional characters were dehumanized. Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath portrays dehumanization through landlords and government officials, who are seen persistently harassing the Joad family, the main characters of the novel, and making their questRead MoreGrapes Of Wrath American Dream Essay1448 Words   |  6 Pagesthat fella’ll work for thirty cents, I’ll work for twenty-five†(Steinbeck). The renowned novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a realistic portrayal of life and social conditions during the 30’s when the Dust Bowl swept across the nation, causing many to fall deeper into the depression. This caused many families to leave their homes in search of a safer and more hopeful land. The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad, his family, and many other migrant farmers as they migrate from their Oklahoma farms into theirRead MoreTheme Of The Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck723 Words   |  3 Pages The Grapes of Wrath Analysis The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, is a novel which demonstrates the lives of families during the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and the struggles they faced on their route to California. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck applies his writing style in order to convey the theme and general plot of the novel. To begin, Steinbeck incorporated an informal use of language in this novel. This can be seen through the colloquialism and slang used in theRead More A Comparison of The Grapes of Wrath and Anthem Essay example914 Words   |  4 PagesComparing The Grapes of Wrath and Anthem      Ã‚  Ã‚   Two great intellectuals of the early twentieth century wrote works of fiction that have become classics; they espoused polar-opposite views, however, of how society best functions. Their battle between communalism, as pictured in John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, and individualism, as portrayed in Ayn Rands Anthem, was played out in their novels, and still continues to this day. Based on Ayn Rands book Anthem, Rand would definitelyRead More The Changing Family Revealed in Grapes of Wrath Essay1785 Words   |  8 PagesThe Changing Family Revealed in Grapes of Wrath  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   The emphasis on family in America is decreasing. Divorce rates, single-parent households, and children born out of wedlock are all increasing. Furthermore, instead of the network of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and other relatives that was prevalent in early America, Americans today are more distant from their extended family. As sociologist David Elkind said in a 1996 interview with Educational Leadership, Instead of togetherness