Grapes Of Wrath Chapter Summaries

The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck is a narrative story following the journey of Tom Joad and his family. In between many narrative chapters, there are intercalary chapters as well. These chapters are inserted between the main storyline of the novel. The intercalary chapters are helpful to the novel; the chapters provide insight on the setting and living conditions of the time period; they also give readers a better chance to connect with the novel by fully understanding the story. The first chapter of the novel is a prominent example of how the intercalary chapters help readers understand the setting. The chapter portrays how people were able to live in the heat and how they would be forced to stay in their homes when the wind
would blow. Chapter Nine is another intercalary chapter that helps readers better understand the setting and living conditions. People would sell their personal items for money to travel west similar to the Joad family who would pick cotton to earn money to travel. “How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past? No. Leave it. Burn it”(Steinbeck 120). Chapter Nine focused on how people felt leaving everything from their life behind to travel west, which was what the Joad family was doing as well, making this an excellent chapter for readers to understand how difficult embarking on this journey would be. The intercalary chapters helps readers connect on a deeper level because they are able to feel the emotional hardships that were present during that time period; which is a goal for any author including Steinbeck. Personally in my experience of reading the novel, in the beginning I was not a fan of the intercalary chapters, but my viewpoint changed after i continued reading..
The chapters take away from the narrative and can be distracting to readers. I was confused when I first began reading Chapter Three because it did not follow the storyline. However the intercalary chapters provide insight to the story without overcrowding a reader in details of the time period because they are told in intervals. It makes it easier to fully remember and understand the narrative chapters as well because readers are not overwhelmed with the long journey of the Joad family. The chapters may be distracting at first but can also help readers better comprehend the story. Steinbeck’s technical decision to include the intercalary chapters gives readers a better chance at understanding the setting of the novel and help readers be fully aware of the difficult journey the Joad family embarked on, giving readers a better chance at connecting with the novel.
In conclusion, the intercalary chapters in the novel The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck provide insight on the setting without overcrowding readers with the narrative. Readers are given a better chance to connect with the novel by understanding how other characters besides the Joad family felt during this time period. The chapters being told in intervals also helps readers understand and remember the narrative better as
well.