The Descriptive Writing Style of John Steinbeck

The novel The Grapes of Wrath is in many ways a one-of-a-kind piece of literature. This work is set up unlike any other book, written in a series of chapters and inter-chapters, which do a remarkable job of informing the reader of the travels the characters in the book are going through. Not only does the story focus on the problems one family goes through, but explains the problem is happening to many more civilians than the story focus's on. Steinbeck does not leave out a single detail about the Joad family and their journey to California, and that in itself is what makes his writing so entertaining. Not only is this a very powerful topic to write about, but the remarkable writing style of author John Steinbeck makes this book a masterpiece. From the intensely vivid descriptions of the land to the true-to-the-heart portrayal of people, Steinbeck makes the words flow right off the pages. The first and most predominant notability of Steinbeck's style is his lavish descriptions of almost everything he writes about. When Steinbeck writes about an unadorned field he is able to give it the brilliance that it deserves. Instead of just a few acres of dirt, Steinbeck makes the reader aware of the heart and soul of the field. By looking further than what is plain to the eye, he creates a special awe for what he is writing about. In the first paragraph Steinbeck draws out the situation of the drought and hence, the dustbowl. He explains, "The rain crust broke and the dust lifted up out of the fields and drove grey plumes into the air like sluggish smoke" (16). In this short sentence the reader has an intense picture of this massive amount of dust blowing away. The passage about listening to the car, found in chapter twelve is almost like a poem right in the text of the story. "Listen to the motor. Listen to the wheels. Listen with your ears and with your hands on the steering-wheel; listen with the palm of your hand on the gear-shift lever; listen with your feet on the