Remember The Crash Of Dry Leaves Under Their Feet Symbolize In The Grapes Of Wrath

Chris DiRienzi Mr. Belluscio Ap Lang 15 Feb 2024.

Theme, Symbolism, and the Continuity of Motif In Chapter 23 of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath This chapter of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath dives into the culture that the migrants make for themselves, which directly contrasts their old way of living they possessed when living their lives as farmers. While they used to be more separated from each other and were only focused on themselves and their farms, the hike to California forced them to make small groups to survive with what little each person had. They keep themselves amused in these little groups through various activities such as storytelling and dancing. Steinbeck uses these activities as a way to convey a commonality between all

This is because when the people listen to the stories they become “great through them” (325), meaning that they have retained the story in their minds, and the lessons they have learned will carry with them until they tell the stories to the next generation. The stories told will keep the memories of the old life alive as when the storytellers entertained the crowd, the people, “remembered the crash of dry leaves under their feet”(325), showing that they are also becoming great through their memories being regained. This distracts the migrants from what they are enduring by putting them into a false sense of security where they daydream about their old lives. He also conveys this point through the story of the brave that stands up to the soldiers, stating that despite the orders from his captain, “every’ man hoped somebody’d shoot first” (326). Furthermore, the soldier explains his emotions after killing the brave as believing he, “spoiled somepin better’n you.” (326). The way I interpreted this was in the context of what the migrants' lives have been diminished to- barely any money, food, and housing because their lives were ripped

A motif in the novel that continues into this chapter is the motif of communities being created for survival and hope. This sense of community even lets a Texas boy dance with a Cherokee girl dance with each other, which would have been very uncommon during the time. When the boy and the girl are, “.a-steppin’ away into the dark.”(329), I feel that this means that a bond between the migrants and the Indians is solidified along with the communities they have formed together. In this chapter, the community survives by entertaining each other on their journey to reach their destination. Music also plays an important role in this community because it brings together groups of people that normally would not be seen together. Before all of the farmers lost their homes, they would barely interact with each other and had little respect for one another. Now they are both impoverished, so they thrive off of one another. Lastly, preachers of Christ drew in large crowds by claiming to save people through baptism. Many turned to God during this time because they realized their punishment as migrants might have been because of their sins, so they needed to put their