Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis - 997 Words

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck uses numerous literary techniques to advocate for change in the social and political attitudes of the Dust Bowl era. Simile, personification, and imagery are among the many devices that add to the novel’s ability to influence the audience’s views. Moreover, through his use of detail, Steinbeck is able to develop a strong bond between the reader and the Joad clan. This bond that is created evokes empathy from the audience towards the Joads as they face numerous challenges along their journey. The chapters go between the Joad’s story and a broad perspective of the Dust Bowl’s effect on the lives of Mid-western farmers in which Steinbeck illustrates dust storms devastating the land, banks evicting tenant†¦show more content†¦A great example of imagery is in the line, â€Å"brake rods, exhausts, piled like snakes† (63). This quote is depicting what one can find in used car lots that were full of not only ca r parts, but snake-like salesmen as well. The scorching heat of the sun is mentioned again when Steinbeck explains that â€Å"the sun whipped the earth†, and this is also an example of personification (163). Moreover, by explaining in great detail most actions and conversations the Joads had throughout their travels, Steinbeck makes the reader feels as though they are a part of the family. Private enterprise is criticized as a man tells the Joad men, â€Å"... â€Å"ever’thing in California is owned... An’ them people that owns it is gonna hang on to it if they got to kill ever’body in the worl’ to do it† (206). This conversation had served to raise awareness of how the large farming companies were taking advantage of people by running small farmers out of business, paying low wages because men would work just to feed their starving children, and keeping the poor poor. Steinbeck was advocating for change with his writing. Another attack had been on the government in this quote, â€Å"Sheriff gets seventy-five cents a day for each prisoner, an’ he feeds ‘em for a quarter† (271). By including this, the novel is demonstrating how its take on the corruption of the government and its law enforcers - that this practice of paying to put struggling people in jailShow MoreRelatedGrapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis1847 Words   |  8 Pages In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the author, John Steinbeck, explores the themes of family, betrayal, and social class struggles. Readers see the historical significance of the Dust Bowl and witness the effects on a fictional family named the Joads. Dust storms of the 1930s force travel upon people of the American prairie as agriculture, ecology, and economy enter a period of pure havoc. The characters evolve extensively throughout the plot due to the historically challenging migrationRead MoreGrapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis1657 Words   |  7 PagesThe Gra pes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, wrote his American realist novel to allow readers to understand the experiences of the migrants from the Dust Bowl era. Not many people know about the struggles of the individuals in the southwest during the Dust Bowl time period. Steinbeck’s novel presents a story of a family who, after a severe dust storm destroys their crops, had to leave their home and travel west in search of employment. Through imagery, figurative language, and symbolism The Grapes of WrathRead More Damsels in Distress Essay1617 Words   |  7 Pagesfamed literary work, Hamlet. Throughout the decades and centuries there has been much dispute about the strength and role of â€Å"the weaker vessel.† But, many other sources have proven that women are, in fact just as strong if not stronger than any other â€Å"vessel.† In literary works throughout history, women have been portrayed in helpless and domestic, â€Å"feminine† roles. John Steinbeck did not e mploy this depiction in his novels, The Grapes of Wrath in particular. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath theRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1075 Words   |  5 PagesKirsten Lloyd Mr. Eldridge AP Junior English 21 August 2014 Grapes of Wrath â€Å"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.† (Seneca), In the 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the reader accompanies the Joad family as they struggle to escape the crippling Dust Bowl of the mid- 1930’s. 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This can be seen through the colloquialism and slang used in theRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 2778 Words   |  12 PagesSteinbeck almost always incorporates a sense of community in his novels with the intent to create a situation needing for a community to co-operate with one another to overcome obstacles and to make the struggle of everyday life bearable. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck creates a family with strengths and weaknesses. As critic Walker-Bickett writes â€Å"Ultimately, it is kindness, the family’s greatest strength† which proves to be the Joads’ salvation . The Joads are an Oklahoman family who have lost everything;Read MoreRhetorical Analysis of the Grapes of Wrath1767 Words   |  8 PagesSeptember 7th, 2012 Rhetorical Analysis of The Grapes of Wrath The dust bowl was a tragic time in America for so many families and John Steinbeck does a great job at getting up-close and personal with one family to show these tragedies. In the novel, â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath†, John Steinbeck employed a variety of rhetorical devices, such as asyndeton, personification and simile, in order to persuade his readers to enact positive change from the turmoil of the Great Depression. Throughout the novelRead MoreDeath of a Salesman Analysis Essay2107 Words   |  9 Pagesis Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman which describes the tragedy of the average person in America. A number of other writers also draw the inability to capture the American Dream. John Steinbeck demonstrates in his highly acclaimed novel The Grapes of Wrath how hard economic times can devastate the typical American family and their struggle for the American Dream. Similarly, Scott Fitzgerald exhibits Jay Gatsby’s vain venture to realize the American Dream in T he Great Gatsby. All of the authors illustrateRead MoreTypes Of Rubrics : Analytic And Holistic1396 Words   |  6 Pagesare two types of rubrics: analytic and holistic. 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Steinbeck also uses literary elements including a dramatic tone, rich symbolism, and personification