... uses animals, climate, and weather to symbolize the points he tries to make in The Grapes of Wrath. California signifies security and happiness. However, despite the expectations the western state provided, when the Joads arrived they discovered a harsh, barren desert. Their former home in Oklahoma was now destroyed and trenched. The settings in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was crucial to the story and symbolic of the hardships and oppression suffered by migrant laborers during ... begin. It was the setting and the climate in California that prevented the end to their destitutio...

• Word Count: 591
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... 's Grapes of Wrath, the author uses setting, characterization combined with theme, and symbolism to communicate his message. Through his realistic descriptions and folksy language, he captures the essence of the farm people of Oklahoma in a turbulent instant in their lives and in the history of America. The imagery places the reader in the center of the dust bowl, surrounded by very real, seemingly uncomplicated characters. In his descriptive opening setting, Steinbeck emphasizes the power of nature in the lives of the people. The ... land is parched and in need of water. Yet when it rai...

• Word Count: 659
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In his article "Dust Bowl Blues", Peter Monro Jack says that The Grapes of Wrath is written in "superb style, one marvelous short story after another, and all melting into this long novel of the great trek." The reader strongly agrees with Jack's comment. The use of interchapters greatly adds to the understanding of the background of the novel. This technique provides a broader picture of what is happening to these migrant farmers as they give up ... their lives to move west. In addition, John Steinbeck would not have gotten his message across in the novel. The first chapter sketches the set...

• Word Count: 646
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... making them feel like they are actually there. For his talent of expressing the lives of the American people in literature, he was presented the Noble Prize in 1962. Steinbeck grew up in California and many of his novels were set there. His works are based upon the issues of the time and setting. His novels "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men" are cored around migrant farm workers in ... California that are affected by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Many of his novels are about society's lowest class during the 30's, in which he sympathizes with ... them. Steinbeck won t...

• Word Count: 1667
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School