The Grapes Of Wrath: Symbolism Essay, Research Paper

The Grapes of Wrath: Symbolism

February 28, 1997

The Grapes of Wrath is a fresh by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate

conditions under which the migratory farm households of America during the 1930 & # 8217 ; s

unrecorded under. The fresh Tells of one households migration West to California through

the great economic depression of the 1930 & # 8217 ; s. The Joad household had to abandon

their place and their supports. They had to uproot and set adrift because

tractors were quickly industrialising their farms. The bank took ownership of

their land because the proprietors could non pay off their loans. The novel shows how

the Joad household trades with traveling to California. How they survive the inhuman treatment of

the land proprietors that take advantage of them, their poorness and willingness to

work.

The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck & # 8217 ; s worship of the land, his simple

hatred of corruptness ensuing from philistinism ( money ) and his staying religion in

the common people to get the better of the hostile environment. The fresh clears with a

retaining image of nature on violent disorder. The novel shows the work forces and adult females that

are unbroken by nature. The subject is one of adult male verses a hostile environment.

His organic structure destroyed but s spirit is non broken. The method used to develop the

subject of the novel is through the usage of symbolism. There are several utilizations of

symbols in the novel from the polo-neck at the beggary to the rain at the terminal. As

each symbol is presented through the novel they show illustrations of the good and

the bad things that exist within the novel.

The gap chapter paints a graphic image of the state of affairs confronting the

drought-stricken husbandmans of Oklahoma. Dust is described as covering everything,

surrounding the life out of anything that wants to turn. The dust is symbolic of

the eroding of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with? unresponsiveness? .

The land is ruined, manner of life ( farming ) gone, people uprooted an forced to

leave. Second, the dust stands for profiteering Bankss in the background that

squash the life out of the land by coercing the people off the land. The dirt,

the people ( husbandmans ) have been drained of life and are exploited.

The last rain fell on the ruddy and grey county of Oklahoma in early May. The

weeds became a dark viridity to protect themselves from the Sun & # 8217 ; s unyielding

beams & # 8230 ; The air current grew stronger, deracinating the diminished maize, and the air became

so filled with dust that the stars were non seeable at dark. ( Chp 1 )

As the chapter continues, a polo-neck, which appears and reappears several

times early in the novel, can be seen to stand for endurance, a impulsive life

force in all of world that can non be beaten by nature or adult male. The polo-neck

represents a hope that the trip to the West is survivable by the husbandman migrators

( Joad household ) . The polo-neck farther represents the migrators struggles against

nature/man by get the better ofing every obstruction he encounters: the ruddy emmet in his way,

the truck driver who tries to run over him, being captured in Tom Joad & # 8217 ; s jacket.

The driver of the truck works for a big company, who tries to halt the

migrators from traveling west. when the driver attempts to hit the polo-neck it is

another illustration of the large, powerful cat seeking to flatten or kill the small

cat. Everything the polo-neck encounters attempts it & # 8217 ; s best to halt the polo-neck from

doing its western journey. Steadily the polo-neck progresss on, ironically to the

sou’-west, the dir

ection of the migration of people. The polo-neck is described as

being permanent, ancient, old and wise: aroused caput, yellowed toenails,

indestructible high dome of a shell, humourous old eyes. ( Chp 1 ) The frogman of the

truck, the ruddy emmet and Tom Joad & # 8217 ; s jacket are all symbolic of nature and adult male that

attempt to halt the polo-neck from go oning his journey due west to the promise land.

The polo-neck helps to develope the subject by demoing its battle against life ;

comparing it with the Joad battle against adult male.

The grapes seem to typify both resentment and abundance. Grandpa, the

oldest member of the Joad household, negotiations of the grapes as symbols of plentifulness. All

his descriptions of what he is traveling to make with the grapes in California suggest

contentment, freedom, the end for which the Joad household strive for: ? I & # 8217 ; m gon na

allow the juice run down mom face, bath in the dammed grapes? ( Chp 4 ) . The grapes

are talked about by Grandpa to assist lucubrate the subject by demoing that no

affair how nice everything seems in California, the truth is that their beauty

is merely skin deep, in their psyches they are icky. The icky nucleus verses the

beautiful visual aspect.

The willow tree that is located on the Joad & # 8217 ; s farm represents the Joad

household. The willow described as being immoveable and ne’er flexing to the air current or

dust. The Joad household does non desire to travel, they prefer to remain on the land

they have planted their roots on, much the same as the willow. The willow

contributes to the subject by demoing the involuntariness of the people to be

removed from their land by the Bankss. The latter represents the force devising

them leave their places. Both of these symbols help lend to the subject by

demoing a battle between each other. The tree battles against nature in much

the same manner that the Joad household struggles against the Bank and big companies.

The rain that comes at the terminal of the fresh symbolizes several things. Rain in

which is inordinate, in a certain manner fulfills a rhythm of the dust which is besides

inordinate. In a manner, nature has restored a balance and has initiated a new

growing rhythm. This ties in with other illustrations of the metempsychosis thought in the stoping,

much in the manner the Joad household will turn once more. The rain contributes to the

subject by demoing the rhythm of nature that give a decision tot he novel by

demoing that life is a form of birth and decease. The rain is another illustration

of mature against adult male, the rain comes and floods the life quarters of the

Joads. The Joads attempt to halt the inundation of their place but yet are forced back

when nature drops tree doing a inundation of H2O to destroy their place coercing them

to travel. In opposite manner rain can be helpful to give life to workss that need it

to populate. Depending on which extreme the rain is in, it can be harmful or helpful.

This is true for adult male every bit good. Man can go both extremes, bad or good,

depending on his choosing.

Throughout the novel, there are several symbols used to develop the

subject of adult male verses a hostile environment. Each symbol used in the novel show

illustrations of both extremes. Some represent adult male, that struggles against the

environment, others paint a clear image of the feelings of the migrators. As

each symbol is presented chronologically through the novel, they come together

at the terminal to paint a clear image of the conditions, interventions and feelings

the people ( migrators ) as they make there journey through the novel to the West.

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