to stop the turtle from continuing his journey westward to the promise land. The turtle helps to develop the theme by showing its struggle against life, and Steinbeck compares it with the Joad struggle against man.For me, the grapes were interesting. They seemed to kind of symbolize both bitterness and indulgence. Grandpa, the oldest member of the Joad family, talks of the grapes as symbols of plenty; all his descriptions of what he is going to do with the grapes in California suggest contentment, and freedom, the goal for which the Joad family is actually striving for: “I'm gonna let the juice run down ma face, bath in the dammed grapes.”The grapes that are talked about by Grandpa even help to elaborate the theme by showing that no matter how nice everything seems in California, the truth is that their beauty is only skin deep. In their souls they are rotten. Sort of like the rotten core verses the beautiful appearance.I think the willow tree that’s located on the Joad's farm represents the Joad family. Steinbeck describes the willow as being unmovable, and never bending to the wind or dust. The Joad family does not want to move either, they prefer to stay on the land they grew up on, much the same as the willow does. The willow even contributes to the theme by showing the unwillingness of the people to be removed from their land by the banks. The latter represents the force making them leave their homes. Both of these symbols help contribute to the theme by showing a struggle between each other. The tree struggles against nature in much the same way that the Joad family struggles against the bank and big business.The two symbols Steinbeck uses in human form in my view are Ma Joad and Casy the former preacher. In Ma, Steinbeck uses her personality traits to symbolize strength, perseverance, and the love for her family to get the Joads through the toughest of times. In looking at Jim Casy, I can almost see a Christ...
