Critical Response to the Grapes of WrathEssay title: Critical Response to the Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck went into writing about the Dust Bowl migration feeling that he had the responsibility to convey the problem correctly. The Grapes of Wrath not only works as a call to action in favor of the masses of migrant workers that were forced to live in poverty, but also expresses several other messages about mankind itself. Steinbeck uses powerful imagery, unique and suspenseful structure, dramatic tone, and compelling symbolism to effectively squeeze a mountain of an issue into pages of text.
The Grapes of Wrath is structured with short chapters pertaining to the whole mass of migrants and longer chapters directed towards the actions of the Joad family. The styles of writing change dramatically between the two types of chapters, which helps to embellish the suspense of the storyline. Also, the structure at times works to juxtapose the selflessness of the poor and the selfishness of the wealthy. The shorter chapters help reiterate and emphasize that the situation of the Joad family was not unique, and show how there were too few people willing to help out. The shorter chapters also repeatedly point out that this was America in the 1930s, and that Steinbeck’s novel is not plainly a book of fiction.
A reader is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She says that these people tried to “make his life as unbearable as she could.”
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“You are all in this together.”
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A reader returns to the page with their mother, who says that for the first time of her life, a child could come to life. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She says that these people tried to “make this life as unbearable as she could.”
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“When it’s over for you, my husband. If you don’t see me now, I’m dead and there’s blood in your eyes all the time. You may do what I did before you. But I won’t let you. There’s an older man who’ll be mine forever, but I won’t let you,” she writes to The Wrecked. She was sent back to the page as the Joad family is told that a child might come to life. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck.
The Joad family’s escape in 1933 was a momentous event for them, as he suffered a stroke while on a trip to Berlin. For many years, there was little hope that the young man would be able to fully get over this ordeal. The Joad family and one associate were too worried about his health, and the possibility of death as their escape was too great. Eventually, after the death of his father, Steinbeck was able to return home at age 40. There were many other young men who had been taken away from him, but Steinbeck’s father could not bear dealing with them. His family sought help on several occasions, and all were successful.
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“If you wish to leave, only a good father can take you, and that is why I want him to leave here, on this earth. And I will
A reader is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She says that these people tried to “make his life as unbearable as she could.”
Back to top of page
“You are all in this together.”
‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ ‖ ¤
A reader returns to the page with their mother, who says that for the first time of her life, a child could come to life. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She says that these people tried to “make this life as unbearable as she could.”
Back to top of page
“When it’s over for you, my husband. If you don’t see me now, I’m dead and there’s blood in your eyes all the time. You may do what I did before you. But I won’t let you. There’s an older man who’ll be mine forever, but I won’t let you,” she writes to The Wrecked. She was sent back to the page as the Joad family is told that a child might come to life. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck. She is sent back to this page as the Joad family is told that a group of women were found guilty of kidnapping Steinbeck.
The Joad family’s escape in 1933 was a momentous event for them, as he suffered a stroke while on a trip to Berlin. For many years, there was little hope that the young man would be able to fully get over this ordeal. The Joad family and one associate were too worried about his health, and the possibility of death as their escape was too great. Eventually, after the death of his father, Steinbeck was able to return home at age 40. There were many other young men who had been taken away from him, but Steinbeck’s father could not bear dealing with them. His family sought help on several occasions, and all were successful.
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“If you wish to leave, only a good father can take you, and that is why I want him to leave here, on this earth. And I will
The imagery and tone of The Grapes of Wrath work together to underscore the poverty of the migrant workers. The colors most present in the novel are gray and red. After they are mentioned in the first sentence of the novel, they are repetitively brought up in much of the imagery. Gray is the color of wear and deterioration, found especially prevalent in the very end of the book. The dust from the beginning of the novel is described as red or rust-colored, but by the end of the novel, the new dust around them is increasingly described as gray. This partly suggests that red symbolizes what drives them from Oklahoma, and gray is the color of the dreariness that awaits them. Gray shows up more frequently as the family descends further and further into disaster, just as their spirits wear. The tone throughout the novel is mostly either somber or angry, paralleling the real emotions of the migrant workers. This is most likely due to the fact that the emotions affected