The Strength of One Turtle in "Grapes of Wrath"

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will - Vince Lombardi

In Chapter 3 of Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck states how a determined turtle crosses a concrete highway. This turtle faces the ultimate test of will. Steinbeck characterizes the turtle as a hero by describing the environment around the road and how the turtle overcomes his challenges.

Steinbeck elevates the turtle's heroism by immediately illustrating a harsh environment where the turtle crosses the highway. The grass around the embankment is "tangled" and "broken." Tangle is a word that evokes a tone of stress and chaos; broken keeps the tone lifeless and hopeless. Because the environment seems so deadly and cruel, the turtle's success is even more spectacular. Steinbeck explains the path towards the other end of the road to be severe; it was "burning hot." Similar to when a person walks onto a beach without their sandals, the sun makes the ground unbearable and burns that person's feet. This terrible condition raises the image of the turtle once he crosses the hot road. Lastly, there are dangers around every corner. As soon as a sedan swerves out of the way "a light truck

Strong perseverance of the turtle also upgrades its heroic status. Early on, Steinbeck states that the turtle is "turning aside for nothing." The turtle is so focused on his goal that distractions do not diminish his attentiveness. Absolute concentration is partly what elevates the turtle's status to hero. The turtle's nature is to be slow, and it is that patience that keeps the turtle heroic: "[He is] dragging his high domed shell over the grass." Giving up would have been easy if the turtle was fed up with his speed, but he keeps his ground because he is so tenacious. Later, the turtle flips over and is on his back "but at last its legs waved in the air, reaching for something to pull it over." This turtle still has fight in it. Such determination is what proves that this turtle is a hero. When a turtle is on its back it is difficult for it to turn over onto its feet again but this turtle has done just that. Overall, Steinbeck creates a hero out of this turtle by glorifying the turtle's perseverance.

Steinbeck uses imagery of the environment and determination of the turtle to paint a hero. Without the turtle's determination, he would have never accomplished his goal. In total, the drive to get a task done is what gets that task done, not simply the ability to do it.