Intercalary Chapters In The Grapes Of Wrath

When I first began reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, I did not understand why the intercalary chapters were in the novel. After reading deeper into the novel, I realized that they were significant in a few ways. The intercalary chapters capture symbols, foreshadows other chapters, and cross references with the Bible. The novel would not be successful if Steinbeck did not incorporate the intercalary chapters because they have so much meaning.

Having symbols in a novel is what make it so interesting to read. Symbols are often characters, animals, objects, and or actions. In The Grapes of Wrath, a symbol that I first came across when reading was the turtle that was trying to continue its journey in the rough terrain. It was run over by a truck, that threw it on to the other side of the road and it still got up and continued its way. The turtle directly symbolizes the Joad’s. Like the turtle, the Joad’s are thrown off track by the harsh environment, but continue on their journey through the hardship. As a reader, it grabs our attention when symbols are used because you figure out what they mean in the end. Steinbeck

N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2017.) Steinbeck uses foreshadowing in most of the chapters. An example of foreshadowing is in chapter 9 when tenants are going through their personal belongings picking and choosing what they can and can not take westward. “Two dollars isn’t enough. Can’t haul it all back.” (pg. 117) Coincidentally in chapter 10, Pa worries how is wife will react when she hears that they only sold eighteen dollars worth of their belongings. Steinbeck’s idea of doing this in every other chapter is clever. It gets our brains thinking and questioning what will happen