The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 1-4
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 1-4 Steinbeck is known for writing about migrant workers (like The Grapes of Wrath). To prepare for his writing about the laboring class, he traveled and lived with the migrants. The Grapes of Wrath has many religious symbols (such as symbolizing the migrant workers and their journey to the parting of the Red Sea and the Israelites).
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 1-4 The major theme of the novel is breaking. Intercalary: inserted between other things or parts; interpolated (originally meaning inserted into a calendar, “an intercalary day”). Sixteen of the thirty chapters of The Grapes of Wrath are intercalary chapters, inserted between chapters dealing with the Joad family’s story. From chapters 1-4, both 1 and 3 are intercalary chapters. The intercalary chapters include historical context, social commentary, metaphors/symbols, and foreshadowing.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 1 The chapter shows worsening conditions with the earth as sick and finally ends with earth close to death (drought). It discusses how dry the earth was (esp. in Oklahoma). Talks about how the wind was damaging and strong. It “attacked” the crops and created dust storms. Talks about people huddled in their homes because of the dust storms. Shows men as being angry and the women and children looking for signs of breaking. (Our major theme is introduced). READ AND DISCUSS CHAPTER 1.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 2 Truck driver gives a hitchhiker a ride. This hitchhiker is Tom Joad, the protagonist. Tom is traveling home to his family farm. The farm is a 40 acre sharecropping farm. Sharecropping - a tenant farmer especially in the southern United States who is provided with credit for seed, tools, living quarters, and food, who works the land, and who receives an agreed share of the value of the crop minus charges.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 2 We find out many sharecroppers have been forced off their land by weather (dust) or the bank. Tom’s clothes are new, foreshadowing readers finding out he is on his way home from prison. He was in prison (at McAlester) for homicide. He was paroled. He was sentenced to 7 years, but got out in 4 for good behavior.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 3 Symbolism - Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. A symbol is a thing that represents both itself and something else. Fable – a short story, with animal characters, conveying a moral.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 3 Brief summary: - The turtle is traveling over the dusty earth and attempting to cross the paved road. A red ant makes its way into the turtle’s shell and the turtle crushes it. The first car, driven by a 40-year-old woman swerved to miss the turtle. The second vehicle, a truck, swerved to hit the turtle. However, the turtle continues forward.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 3 Meaning of the chapter/fable: - This is centered around people in life coming in to contact with achievements or positive things and hardships or hurdles. However, life keeps going and you must continue on.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 3 Symbolism: Turtle = Joad family/other migrant families surviving against hardships Red ant = a hurdle or hardship Driver who hits the turtle = hardships/government Driver who swerves to miss = some people will help you/achievements in life
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 4 Tom Joad meets Jim Casy. Casy is described as tall, thin, pale, high forehead, brown eyes, eyes heavy and protruding, neck is stringy (p. 19). Casy shares his stories of his past as a preacher. Casy is no longer a preacher.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 4 Casy is no longer a preacher because: He says he has sinful ideas. (Has guilt). People don’t have the spirit or belief in God any longer. Casy doesn’t have the spirit in himself any longer – He has lost his belief system. He only talks about God and preaches because the people expect it out of him (but he only does it part of the time).
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 4 Casy’s nonpreacher-like behavior: Drinking Cussing Used to baptize women and after he would sleep with them now feels tremendous guilt His expression asked for help (p. 22)
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 4 Casy shows he is breaking/broken from his past with women and religion. Casy does not think he has true religious thoughts or beliefs any longer. Casy now says the only spirit is the human spirit. Tom and Casy reach the Joad farm and everything is abandoned.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 4 Tom’s explanation of his homicide: Tom was at a local dance and was drunk. He got in a fight with another man. The man stabbed Tom and Tom grabbed a shovel and hit him in the head. The hit to the head killed the man. Tom is not ashamed of his actions and only received a sentence of 7 years because the other man stabbed him.
The Grapes of Wrath Ch. 4 Read the last paragraph starting on page 19 to show the dialect of the characters that you will see throughout the novel. Then continue reading to page 24 to show Casy’s thoughts about religion, his loss of spirit, and his new thoughts. Read page 26, paragraph 4 to show prison conditions and why men would choose this lifestyle.