Literary Analysis "The Grapes of Wrath"

General: 1. The book begins with Tom Joad hitching a ride from a trucker after being released from Prison. Tom was put into prison after getting into a fight at a bar and hitting someone with a shovel. Once arriving to his town he begins walking home where he sees his neighbor who tells Tom of how a drought led to many former residents to not be able to pay banks and have their land taken. After learning of this news Tom quickly heads home to find that they were already preparing to leave. His family reveals that they weren’t able to pay the bank either and headed to California after receiving pamphlets stating work and a better life there. The Joad family finishes packing and leave to California with their old pastor tagging along. On their trek to California the family goes through many hardships like the death of their grandparents. They also realize that the abundant work and easy life the fliers promised is the complete opposite with hostel people, no work, no food, and nowhere to live. The novel ends with the family huddled under a barn escaping the rain with nothing else but each other to keep from collapsing. 2. The theme of “The Grapes of Wrath” was interdependence of family as the Joad family relied on each other to get through their extremely difficult journey. And in the end it was basically what kept them alive when California wasn’t what they expected. 3. The tone of the book was very dark and gloomy as the family goes through a bombardment of obstacles and unfortunate events throughout the plot. • “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.” • To California or any place, everyone a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day, the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it. pg. 91-92 • If you're in trouble or hurt or need—go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help—the only ones. pg.394 4. Setting-The book takes place during the infamous Dust Bowl and Great Depression. First starting out in Oklahoma and through the states to California. “Highway 66 is the main migrant road. 66 – the long concrete path across the country, waving gently up and down on the map, from the Mississippi to Bakersfield –over the red lands and the gray lands, twisting up into the mountains, crossing the Divide and down in to the bright and terrible desert, and across the desert to the mountains again, and into the rich California valleys.” CH.12 Allegory: The turtle at the beginning of the novel is a metaphor of the Joad’s family difficult trek to California. ”For a long moment the lay still, and then the neck crept out and the old humorous frowning eyes looked about and the legs and tail came out.” CH 3 Tone: The tone of the book was very dark and gloomy as the family goes through a bombardment of obstacles and unfortunate events throughout the plot. “And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed Mood: The mood like the tone is very dark and gloomy also. To California or any place, everyone a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness. And some day, the armies of bitterness will all be going the same way. And they'll all walk together, and there'll be a dead terror from it Imagery: The imagery of the novel further helps express the gravity of the family’s situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Diction: The author’s diction is full of colloquialisms that portray the characters how they truly would have spoken at that time. "Okie use' ta mean you was from Oklahoma. Now it means you're a dirty son-of-a-bitch. Okie means you're scum. Don't mean nothing itself, it's the way they say it." CH 18 Syntax: "Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes." Symbolism: In Steinback’s writing many symbols are used to represent the Joad’s family situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Metaphor: The author does many comparisons of other things or objects with the Joad family situation. “In the daylight [the migrant people] scuttled like bugs to the westward; and as the dark caught them, they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water...But along the highway the cars of the migrant people crawled out like bugs.” Characterization: 1. Direct Characterization-“He was not over thirty. His eyes were very dark brown and there was a hint of brown pigment in his eyeballs. His cheek bones were high and wide, and strong deep lines cut down his cheeks, in curves beside his mouth. His upper lip was long, and since his teeth protruded, the lips stretched to cover them, for this man kept his lips closed. His hands were hard, with broad fingers and nails as thick and ridged as little clam shells. The space between thumb and forefinger and the hams of his hands were shiny with callus.” Direct Characterization- He wore a pair of new tan shoes of the kind called "army last," hob-nailed and with half-circles like horseshoes to protect the edges of the heels from wear. Indirect Characterization- The driver, getting slowly into the truck, considered the parts of this answer. If he refused now, not only was he not a good guy, but he was forced to carry a sticker, was not allowed to have company. Indirect Characterization- "New shoes," said the driver. His voice had the same quality of secrecy and insinuation his eyes had. "You oughtn' to take no walk in new shoes—hot weather." The hiker looked down at the dusty yellow shoes. "Didn't have no other shoes," he said. "Guy got to wear 'em if he got no others." 2. The authors diction does not change in the novel as the main dialogue comes from the Joad family who have a Oklahoma farmer type accent. 3. Most of the characters in the novel are static except for maybe one which would be Rose who changes from foolish optimism to serious realistic. 4. From the book I came with that in our society there is always the people we make our slaves but always hate and in the years to come someone writes a book about it and we say things like “Oh how sad how could we have been so ignorant.” When ironically we repeat the same actions over and over again. For example Egyptians and Slaves, Americans with slaves, Americans with Dust Bowl migrants, and again Americans with Hispanic Immigrant workers.