Symbolism In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath
Steinbeck uses symbolism to portray the allusion of the individual turtle’s straightforward actions to that of the hardships of the migrant worker’s journey to California. The wild oat symbolizes an obstacle that the turtle faced, originally being carried along with the turtle; A burden being carried in this instance. The spearhead seeds “stuck” in the ground from this burden, which conveys the idea of a permanent legacy being left behind, evidence that he overcame such. The turtle continues his journey despite the intentions of the truck driver who previously intentionally attempted to steer his journey of course, leaving behind with him a shallow trench in the dust. The tracks the turtle leaves behind is the physical evidence of the turtle’s