StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Grapes of The wrath - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The Grapes of Wrath by Shari Booker English 102/018 13 October 2011 The Grapes of Wrath The book The Grapes of Wrath is written by John Steinback. The story revolves around the life of a particular family called the Joads during the time of the Great Depression…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.2% of users find it useful
The Grapes of The wrath
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Grapes of The wrath"

Download file to see previous pages

He is in his late twenties and is highly respected by his family. The story starts off with Tom being released from the prison. He was imprisoned for four years for killing a man in a fight. "Homicide," he said quickly. "That's a big word—means I killed a guy. Seven years. I'm sprung in four for keepin' my nose clean" (Steinbeck 13). This shows that he obviously has certain violent tendencies. He cannot keep his temper in check, can lose his senses at it being crossed. He also seems to be quite powerful physically.

The amount of time spend in jail has, of course, changed his personality but he cannot possibly turn a new leave completely and as it is shown later, these former traits come out at different parts of his journey. Tom is also quite blunt; he does not seem to be embarrassed about people guessing about him having a criminal record. He seems to be proud of himself as a person and very sure of himself. He is also determined and wills things to go his way. He does not strike to be as an educated person and, in fact, he is not.

He cannot read or write though he asserts that he could if he wanted to. Tom is sly enough and manages to convince a driver to drop him off near his home, easily keeping up with the conversation. There he comes across a preacher called Jim Casy. They get reacquainted, building a new friendship. Casy is no longer the believer of the things as he was earlier. Later in the story, Casy is shown to be a great influence on Tom with certain repercussions attached to it. The two get closer and Casy makes Tom realise what unfairness and prejudice people are suffering through.

"Well, you and me got sense. Them goddamn Okies got no sense and no feeling. They ain't human. A human being wouldn't live like they do. A human being couldn't stand it to be so dirty and miserable. They ain't a hell of a lot better than gorillas" (Steinbeck 221). On one of such arguments with the police, Casy turns violent and is arrested. When he is released, Tom goes back to him. Casy is shot dead by a policeman in front of Tom. To avenge the death of a friend, Tom shows his loyalty by killing an officer.

Here, the murderer reemerges. On the way to his home, Tom picks up a stray turtle. "An old turtle," he said. "Picked him up on the road. An old bulldozer. Thought I'd take 'im to my little brother. Kids like turtles" (Steinbeck 21). This shows that despite the tough personality he is intent on showing to others, though he has a volatile temperament, he still is in touch with his human side. He has enough affection for his siblings to want to take something for him to make him happy. In the different areas of the text, Tom is shown as fondly remembering his family.

He obviously loves them quite a bit. At reaching the house, Tom is informed by Muley Graves the neighbor that his family have left and gone to Uncle John’s, planning to pack up and migrate to California in search of jobs. He finds them, time and time again shows his fondness for his family. On their road trip to California, his grandparents pass away. Life is not easy in the new city until Noah, the oldest Joad child, gives in and leaves his family. Tom now officially becomes the head after his father.

He assumes the responsibilities and is respected by them. It is during these times that Tom starts to look at the conditions in the long run, decides to do something for the others and not just himself or his family. "I climb fences when I got fences to climb," said Tom. Casy

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Grapes of The wrath Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/english/1433018-the-grapes-of-the-wrath
(The Grapes of The Wrath Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/english/1433018-the-grapes-of-the-wrath.
“The Grapes of The Wrath Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/english/1433018-the-grapes-of-the-wrath.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Grapes of The wrath

Steinbecks Purpose in the Grapes of Wrath

Tutor name Date Steinbeck's purpose in the grapes of Wrath the grapes of Wrath is a 1939 realist novel by John Steinbeck.... The background of John Steinbeck, as well as his former writings, makes him an experienced authority in tackling the chronicle of events in the grapes of Wrath.... Given this background and experience with migrant issues, Steinbeck had incomparable experience and authority to write the grapes of Wrath, which is based on the lives of migrant population....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

The Grapes of Wrath

In his famous book the grapes of Wrath (1939) for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature, John Steinbeck stated, "If you're in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people.... In the grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck chronicled the travels of the Joad family from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to California, which the family believed to be a land holding much promise and fortune for them....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Grapes of Warth *my theater class*

Having read the book and watched the film version of grapes of Wrath, I was sure to follow the play stage by stage to the end.... Next to me was a woman who did not have a clue of what grapes of Wrath was all about.... Set in accordance to the author's time, the play reveals a lot about life in the 1930's, when the play was written....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Grapes of Wrath/Market structures

This paper will seek to discuss and describe five examples of market structures as explained by John Steinbeck's novel, the grapes of Wrath.... In the book “the grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, Tom Joad's interlocutor in the federal host camp describes the basis of perfect competition extremely well....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

The Grapes of Wrath

??the grapes of Wrath' reveal a lot from the Americans past.... orks citedFlinn, John, Review, the grapes of Wrath.... "PURSUITS; Leisure & Arts: Lost in Translation from Page to Stage; the grapes of Wrath Disappoints as a New Opera.... In an actual case, this movie is an actual revelation of the state of Instructions grapes of Wrath John Fords film about the account of a dust bowl with its miseries of the gloomy survivors who seeks refuge in a very unwelcoming California....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Rethinking the Politics of The Grapes of Wrath

This paper 'Rethinking the Politics of the grapes of Wrath" focuses on the fact that John Steinbeck's novel the grapes of Wrath criticizes American culture during the dustbowl years of the 1930s.... Steinbeck argues that American society is driven by the capitalistic 'monster' of economic profit....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback

The paper "grapes of Wrath by John Steinback" tells that the title of the novel, grapes of Wrath, a phrase is taken from the “Battle Hymn of the Republic, is full of biblical allusions.... nbsp;Throughout the novel, the Joads struggle, while the Israelites initially, enjoy a life of comfort and peace....
1 Pages (250 words) Book Report/Review

The Grapes of Wrath and The Migrant Woman

This assignment "the grapes of Wrath and The Migrant Woman" presents works of art and literature that serve as representations or criticism of the contemporary socio, economic or political scenario.... The Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange and the grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck are typical representations of the period of economic depression, drought, and poverty faced by the migrant farmers in California.... Inspired by The Migrant Mother, the grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck records the life and struggles of a migrant family who move from Oklahoma losing their farms during the drought of the Dust Bowl....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us