The Importance of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck to American Culture

The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most prolific American novels ever written. Set at the time of the Great Depression in the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma, it centers around a freshly released convict named Tom Joad. Joad recognizes the destruction of the Depression, and John Steinbeck uses him as the protagonist of an intricately crafted story. The novel manages to give an in depth, detailed description of how life really was during this period. Steinbeck, specifically in chapter four, utilizes two rhetorical strategies heavily: color symbolism and dialect.

The first strategy, color symbolism, is present as a theme through out the entire novel. This device allows Steinbeck to continue to tell the narrative of Tom Joad on the surface, while providing underlying, more in depth social ideas about the time period. For example, in chapter four, when Tom was walking toward his childhood home to search for his family, "the flourlike dust spurted up in front of his new yellow shoes, and the yellowness was disappearing under gray dust" (Steinbeck 23). Although on the surface this may seem like just another piece of descriptive narration centering around shoes and a benign gray dust, the presence of color symbolism is important. Yellow, in this use, represents vitality, and hope for a new life. Tom purchases these shoes upon his release from prison, and the fact that they are shiny, clean and new draws a parallel to the type of life he is searching for. In chapter two, Steinbeck makes a point of describing Tom's new clothes, particularly his new shoes. The truck driver Tom hitches a ride from even remarks upon his "dusty yellow shoes" (12), saying "you oughtnt' to take no walk in new shoes (Steinbeck 12).

Yellow as a color theme also transcends simply describing a main character; the turtle, to which all of chapter three is dedicated, is referred to as having a "creamy yellow, clean and smooth" (24) under-shell in chapter four. Although it has a bright yellow underside, symbolizing vitality and newness, it's back is "brown-gray, like the dust" (Steinbeck 24). This corresponds with Tom's shoes, which are also yellow, and are also smothered by gray dust. In discussion of the entire novel, the yellow newness of the shoes and the shell represent most of the people's hopes in the Dust Bowl around the time of the Great Depression. They hoped for new lives, and perhaps strength and vitality to succeed in these new lives. Their hopes, however, were eventually smothered by the Great Depression, and the reality of life with in the Dust Bowl. The turtle, although as it is stated in chapter three, plows on through his struggles, still faces trials: "His yellow nails slip a fraction in the dust" (Steinbeck 22) as he attempts to continue on his journey. Like the people of the Great depression themselves, who attempt to journey in search of a new life, they too slip and falter in the dust. Color symbolism in this use allows Steinbeck to delve into his themes more deeply, while still capturing the reader's interest with the use of vivid colors.

The second strategy used heavily through out the novel is dialect. The use of dialect specifically in chapter four allows Steinbeck to create interest while still pushing more serious themes into the reader's mind. Jim Casy, a former preacher who used to have a bona fide interest in religion, remarks that he "ain't got the call no more. Got a lot of sinful idears, but they seem kinda sensible" (Steinbeck 27). This seems as if it is a deranged remark made by a simpleton because of the use of dialect; indeed, the use of dialect makes a comment that would normally seem dire and depressing seem rather funny. A closer look, however, shows the comment -despite it's strange dialect - is meant to convey a larger point. It refers to the way the people of the Great Depression lost their sense of morals, and the traditional ideas of right or wrong. The 'lost generation' of the depression essentially lost their hope, faith and, accordingly, their religion. As Jim Casy says, sin and virtue, good and evil, began to blur together in such a hopeless society. Casy looses his religion, which can be seen in chapter six as well; Casy remarks that the people on the road "gonna need help no preachin' can give 'em" (Steinbeck 71). Dialect allows Steinbeck to, once again, go deeper into his underlying ideas about society and the time period, while still maintaining interest. The use of unconventional, though appropriate, words and phrases, like 'ain't' or 'preachin'', creates curiosity on the part of the reader as to the character's points. If Steinbeck had used an average, more educated or formal dialect, the novel would not have been as effective, nor as interesting.

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, manages to create an excellent balance between interest and deeper themes. While still maintaining the reader's attention, Steinbeck gives his own views of what the Great Depression of the 1930's really did to American citizens. This is no easy feat, but he does seem to create a great American novel with ease and eloquence. To accomplish this, Steinbeck successfully uses the rhetorical strategies of color symbolism and dialect.

Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.