Deep within the pages of images and motifs, symbols and themes it becomes apparent to the reader that the novels…The Grapes of Wrath and Song of Solomon are indeed about family. Two novels that appear almost forty years apart do indeed encompass some of the same ideas. Each family, the Goads and the Deads, is struggling to survive in a harsh materialistic world. Their journey’s, of course, are seemingly different—the Joads are fighting to survive physically, to obtain a little bit of their lost wealth and freedom, and the fast growing, faceless capitalist society. The Dead’s journey is more internal. The struggle with society is indeed apart of the Deads’ journey, yet it is only the shell of the real struggle. The history of the Dead family is the true toil and the journey to find truth in their history becomes the creed of the journey. Creed indeed engulfs the reader in both texts. Using different forms of Imagery, both Steinbeck and Morrison enforce their beliefs as well as the beliefs of their characters and give the reader a sense and smell of the surroun

One of the few motifs in The Grapes of Wraths deals with the women ultimately representing hope in the novel. This reacurring motif revolves around the improvised leadership in the novel. In the beginning, the Joad family relies on the traditional family structure, where the men make the all the descisions. They believe so soundly in the tradition that they continue to uphold Pa Joad, even as his ability to soundly guide and lead dimminshes. With Pa Joad’s death, Ma Joad steps up to lead and by the end of the novel the family structure had undergone a complete revolution. Ma Joad, along with Rose of Sharon are the preservers of the Joad family.

The motifs surrounding the Dead family is much more vast in number and in depth. Where Steinbeck embosses in images, Morrison embellishes in motifs. Song of Solomon is full of motifs that range from biblical to fairly tales. The biblical motifs

Life in The Grapes of Wrath is described in a naturalistic, yet dynamic way. Steinbeck carefully chooses his writing style in order to form images that pull the reader into the polished setting of this novel. “Steinbeck achieves what he called a symphony in composition, in movement, in tone and scope” (Classicnotes.com). This grace is certainly seen in the description of the Joad’s house…the empty barn and the crooked house sagging close to the barren ground. A closer view unveils an empty, dried up well, an emaciated cat limping past the caved in porch, a tree with "leaves tattered and scraggly as a molting chicken" (Grapes of Wrath, 42), a stack of rotting untouched lumber and cracked, jagged window panes reflecting the desolate land abroad. The image of the Joad’s home captures the essence of despair and ruin. Further it gives the impression of hopelessness; where a family, of many numbers, use to live and work is now only home to a family of mice.

With that the images of hopelessness become vivid and constant throughout the novel, only in the end, does th

Some topics in this essay:
Grapes Wrath, Song Solomon, Joad’s Journey, Rose Sharon, Goads Deads, Aunt Nephew, Grapes Wraths, Steinbeck Morrison, Ma Joad, , grapes wrath, song solomon, ma joad, joad family, gow 16, rose sharon, joad rose sharon, pa joad, guitar’s eyes, throughout novel, reader sense,