Journal: Symbolism

Out of the three novels I read this summer, I would say the one with the most symbolism is the Grapes of Wrath. The symbols are always obvious, which is typical of a lot of books. I noticed a few symbols, the turtle, the mountains, and Rose of Sharon's pregnancy. You may be wondering how a turtle that is only breifly mentioned can be so symbolic, but for the short amount of time it was in the novel it seemed to foreshadow the future events. The turtle was heading in a direction and was having a very difficult time getting there. Once the turle got to the road, it began to cross. Two cars came by. One car swerved to avoid hitting the turtle, and the other car purposely hit the turtle. The turtle still managed to make it across the road. It does not seem to significant, but by reading in between the lines it makes sense. The cars are people and all of the bad things that can happen to a person. A car that swerved would be a good person or something positive happening in life, while the car that purposely hit the turtle is hardships and corrupt people. This also reminds me of the bank because the bank targets people and moves them off of their land. The turtle's dedication to cross the street shows that he is determined and will not let anything get in his way of getting to where ever he was going. I think that this symbol is a good subtle way of bringing in a lesson. I enjoyed how simple it was, unlike the Old Man and the Sea. The Old Man and the Sea has such complex symbols in it and they were way to subtle for me to pick up. I also know nothing about the bible so I had no impression that it was being hinted at the whole time.