Grapes Of Wrath Style Analysis

John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” is one of the most beloved novels in all of American Literature. This book’s format is unconventional compared to other novels. The novel’s chapters switch back and forth between the perspective of the Joad family and information about the environment and different characters. Whether this formatting style is enjoyable or not has been in debate ever since the release of this novel. I love this format and this element is what made this book one of the best I have ever read. “Some of the owner men were kind because they hated what they had to do, and some of them were angry because they hated to be cruel…” (Steinbeck 42). One of the upsides of the intercalary chapters is that they immerse you in the setting. For example, chapter five introduces the tenant workers that have to drive people of the land. This shows how hard this time period was to live in. These chapters also break up the monotony by focusing on the setting and the daily lives of other people instead of focusing on the Joad family for all 619 pages. “The last clear definite function of man – muscles aching to work, minds aching to create beyond the single need – this is man” (Steinbeck 204). Another benefit of the intercalary chapters is that they
One downside of this format is that sometimes the chapters can take away from the Joad family. Some chapters could have been used to focus more on the Joad family to flesh out their personalities even more. Additionally, some of the intercalary chapters come of as forced. While most of the intercalary chapters provide context to the setting some seem just like filler until you get back to the Joad family. For some readers the intercalary chapters can take the perspective away from the Joad family. Later on in the novel the intercalary chapters can feel like stops before you get back to the dynamic story of the