Authors often use many styles and techniques in their novels. They use certain methods in order to make their stories seem more real. John Steinbeck uses many literary techniques in The Grapes of Wrath to help the reader better understand the story. The interchapters in The Grapes of Wrath often foreshadow the regular chapters. They are more of a general picture as to what went on during that time period in America.
The regular chapters are meant to represent a specific family, the Joads, and document their journey to California and usually the interchapters have something to do ith the story line of the Joads adventures. The interchapters became predictable as the story progressed, and after awhile the two different types of chapters gave the story a John Steinbeck uses a certain dialect throughout the whole story which makes the reader see how people talked during that time period.
This also aids the reader in feeling like they are part of the story, and it helps him to understand the way things were back then. Many slang words and phrases typical of the early 1900s are used to make the conversations true to life. For instance, in the first chapter at the roadside diner, the onversation between the customer and the waitress right away tell the reader the kind of dialect that will be used during the story. Steinbeck has a very distinctive style of writing.
He uses many descriptive phrases and words to help give the reader a clear picture as to what is happening in the story. His use of alliteration and repetition makes the sentences and paragraphs easier to follow because of the rhythm and flow that is added to them. Steinbeck uses symbolism in order to show the importance of some ideals and main themes of the novel. For example, the turtle that was walking across the road represents the long, treacherous ourneys that many families took to get to California.
The dust that settled over the crops symbolizes the harshness that fell over the many farms, therefore forcing the people off of the land. Rose of Sharons stillborn baby shows the reader that long, painful journeys, filled with many problems along the way, sometimes amount to nothing in the end. In order to understand the story and its many hidden meanings, the reader must pick up on Steinbecks style of writing. These writing techniques of Steinbeck aid the reader in his analysis of The Grapes of Wrath.