Honor Novel #1

Steinbeck’s Turtle

By

Osamah Elhams

Steinbeck’s Symbolism

By

Osamah Elhams

The turtle in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath symbolizes the perpetual struggle of the hard luck farmers will to survive against all odds. In Chapter three, the turtle that Steinbeck describes crossing the road overcomes obstacles that cross it’s path. It’s very life is in peril when a man tries to run it over. It is at the mercy of its surroundings and can do very little to escape its fate. Even so, the turtle struggles on.

Much like the farmers who are striving to get to California to start a new life, the turtle is also struggling to get to a safe place. Like the farmers, it encounters dangers along the way. Even though the farmers get beaten down in life, they like the turtle, persevere. Tom Joad’s character is much like the turtle on the road. They both show strength and tenacity when confronted by life’s difficulties. The turtle doesn’t give up when a passing car causes it to flip over. It struggles to get itself upright so it can continue it’s journey. Likewise Tom Joad doesn’t give up even though he experiences many hard times with his family. The Joad’s are forced to leave the land they grew up in order to survive. Drought has destroyed their ability to grow their crops and they have been forced into a desperate situation. Once fertile farmlands are turned to dust. People are being thrown out of their homes by greedy landowners and unsympathetic banks. Without an income, people find themselves without food or shelter. The turtle on the road is probably also seeking food and shelter. It must venture out in the world in order to find what it needs to survive. Doing so however, puts it at great risk to the dangers of it’s environment. Even though there are some kind people that try to avoid hitting the turtle when it crosses the road, there are those who would deliberately do it harm. The farmers on their journey encounter many hardships but they, like the turtle, have no other choice but to keep moving in order to survive.

Towards the end of the novel, as the Joads along with other families continue to struggle against the injustices of landowners who take advantage of them, Steinbeck also speaks of the “grapes of wrath” symbolizing the growing anger of the migrant families. Grapes that could have provided nourishment have instead been left to decay because of greed. Rich landowners unjustly seek to get farmers who have no other choice to work for very low wages. Because they are desperate and starving, migrant families will accept the low wages to feed their children. Even though bad things happen to them they try to show kindness to others that are also struggling. They suffer many misfortunes like the loss of several family members and pets throughout the story. The Joad family grandparents die during their move to find a better life in California. A baby is stillborn. Many things happen to test their endurance but through it all, they still survive and never lose their humanity.