Grapes of Wrath 10 Symbols

There are many symbols in The Grapes of Wrath. One symbol is a black cloud that appears when Tom runs into Casy. Tom is saying that he is very nervous, and then someone says “They’s a great big ol’ black cloud a-sailin’ over. Bet she’s got thunder. That’s what’s itchin’ him—‘lectricity” (Steinbeck, 385.) This black cloud symbolized something much worse than “lectricity.” It symbolized Casy’s death. A cop shows up as the cloud is up, and beats Casy to death. Right after the event of Casy’s death “the black cloud had crossed the sky, a blob of dark against the stars. The night was quiet again” (Steinbeck, 387.) The cloud came with the reappearance of Casy and left with his disappearance.
Another symbol is Rose of Sharon’s baby and her pregnancy. She is pregnant from the beginning of the story until almost the end. The pregnancy is a symbol that things will work out, and everything will change for the Joads. This baby is going to have a good life in California where everything is supposed to be perfect. Then she has the baby and it was “a blue shriveled little mummy” (Steinbeck, 444.) At first it seems like this means their lives are ruined, but there is something else in store for them. Mrs. Wainwright says that the baby never breathed, and it was never alive (Steinbeck, 444.) Rose of Sharon was pregnant for another reason. This becomes apparent in the very last lines of the story. She ends up helping a man who is dying of starvation by breast feeding him. It is pretty gross, but it was a good ending in my opinion. I did not like where the story ended, but I did like how it ended. You do not find out what happens to Tom or Connie, but the ending was pretty satisfactory. Rose of Sharon’s baby was never alive, so they did not really lose a family member. Instead of bringing in a new life she saves an old one.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.