SARROCA, Charisse S.3/III – 2 BSE English Naturalism in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck uses the Joad family’s experiences and struggles to show the adversities faced by many small farmers from some southern states during the Dust Bowl Depression and reveal the naturalist perspective showing how defenseless humans can be against natural and social forces despite all of their strength and technological advances and how they will to escape these determining forces. Naturalism considers humans to be determined by heredity and environment. It is a way of “imagining the world and the relation of the self to the world” (Howard, 1985) wherein an individual is in an external struggle with both the environment and his self in relation to his natural and social surroundings. The individual is at the mercy of social and economic forces; he is “subject to the social and economic forces in the family, the class, and the milieu into which that person is born” (Abrams, 1988). In naturalism, an individual is determined by the environmental, economic, and social forces around him. Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath shows us the numerous ways in which the small farmers are struggling to escape their dismal homeland in search of a better life in California during the Great Depression through the story of the Joad family and reveals the measures they take in order to survive. The novel begins with a lengthy description of the dismal state of the land and the people as the dust progressively takes over and devastates their lives. It “settled on the corn, piled up on the tops of the fence posts, piled up on the wires; it settled on roofs, blanketed the weeds and trees.” (p. 4). The dust was a primary factor for the people’s decision to migrate to California and it is also a constant determining factor for their hardships throughout their 1 and a wagon lifted the dust as high as the fence tops. the dirt crust broke and the dust formed. and an automobile boiled a cloud behind it. essentially. (p. Due to the Great Depression. . the Joads are portrayed to be powerless against the forces and situations surrounding them. this shows that. The dust was long in settling back again. In the case of the Joad family.journey. this event could be likened to when an animal is removed from its natural habitat and is exposed to unfamiliar conditions. including the Joads. The extent of its adaptability is thus revealed and will determine whether or not it will survive in the new environment. It is also part of the reason why they had to move out from Oklahoma. Every moving thing lifted the dust into the air: a walking man lifted a thin layer as high as his waist. The dust signifies the trials that the Joad family had to confront as they migrate to the promised land of California. . many farmers had taken out loans from banks. . their adaptability is revealed as they face difficulty after difficulty throughout their journey to – and even after their arrival in – California. the dust and dryness of the land became the continual reminders of the naturalistic forces which dictate the predicament of the Oklahoman migrants. implies that it is the earth and the environment which determine Joads’ sufferings. human beings have no control over naturalistic elements and are therefore at the mercy of these elements. They are helpless in face of extreme drought and they are also helpless against the negative treatment that they receive in California. Using the dust as the symbol for the Joad family’s problems is noteworthy since the dust. These naturalistic forces are what drove the Joads. It took over their land and lives so much and rendered them unable to do anything that it forced many families into moving to California. The banks wanted 2 . Another factor which the Joads had no control over and were powerless against were the economic social forces. Succinctly. These debts played a huge role in the decline of those farmer families. as the product of the earth. along with other Oklahoman families to migrate to California in hope of a better life. 3) Being the strongest representations of despair. Significantly. Throughout the novel. A gas store owner and attendant in California talk badly about the Oklahoman migrants by describing them as having “no sense and no feeling. the Joads and other Oklahoman families highlighted that — like a group of animals — sticking together is essential for survival. the Joads still had to struggle against a different force: the prejudice of the locals. were unable to pay them back as it was the height of the extreme drought. however. "Them Okies? They're all hard-lookin'. Even in California. A human being wouldn't live like they do. They gathered together for strength. Along with numerous other farmer families from Oklahoma.their money back. especially the west. the Joads’ experiences are similar to those of an animal’s as they are forced by natural forces to struggle in immediately coping with the unfamiliar environment that they suddenly find themselves in. They ain't a hell of a lot better than gorillas. the Joads become exposed to the basic elements and they must quickly learn how to adapt and survive. you and me got sense. This clearly shows the elemental nature of the Joad family’s struggle. After the struggle against the extreme drought in Oklahoma. the farmers were left with no land and were then forced to move out of their homeland and search for another life in another place. A human being couldn't stand it to be so dirty and miserable. I'd hate to start out in a jalopy like that. Them goddamn Okies got no sense and no feeling. 150) In line with the naturalistic approach. During their migration. the Joads then had to learn to live in an environment that further degrades them." "Jesus. where they once thought they would be able to start a new life. Thus. and protection in order to help them endure the natural elements in their journey. number." "Well. the farmers." (p. 3 . The banks then simply took the farmers’ land and evicted them. They ain't human.” and the attendant even goes so far as to saying that they are not human. ultimately. (p. their food. and as the dark caught them. dragging his highdomed shell over the grass: His hard legs and yellow-nailed feet threshed slowly through the grass. The Joads. and although misfortune and hardships strike every single one of them. The sun lay on the grass and warmed it. they must not let those create a rift between them as a group. turning aside for nothing. And over the grass at the roadside a land turtle crawled. and in the shade under the grass the insects moved. they huddled together. 130) The omniscient narrator of the novel also makes it clear that it was imperative that the Oklahomans remain whole in order to survive the elements which determine their lives. ants and ant lions to set traps for them. grasshoppers to jump into the air and flick their yellow wings for a second. 11) 4 . they shared their lives. are unprotected against the basic elements in their surroundings and are coerced into finding ways to cope with these elements in order to survive. They had to become “one family” as they confront their new environment. to man — as it struggles to crawl westward. not really walking. much like the turtle. the turtle at the very beginning of the story is a strong symbolism of the Joads and also served as a foreshadowing for the events that would come in the life of the Joads throughout the rest of the book. Finally. they clustered like bugs near to shelter and to water. and the things they hoped for in the new country. and because they were all going to a new mysterious place. plodding restlessly on many tender feet. but boosting and dragging his shell along. because they had all come from a place of sadness and worry and defeat. And because they were lonely and perplexed. The turtle is an analogy to the Joads — and. they talked together. sow bugs like little armadillos.In the daylight they scuttled like bugs to the westward. (p. they chose to be united in facing these problems.The turtle “crawled. but now it hurried on. turning aside for nothing” and toiled on in its journey towards the west at the same time that the Joads migrate westward to California. just as how the Joads were having a hard time transporting their belongings in a vehicle that was less than sufficient. (p. and the horny head protruded as far as the neck could stretch. (p. the shoulder of the road. The car skidded back onto the road. As the embankment grew steeper and steeper. The turtle had jerked into its shell. it is also displacing itself from its homeland and is confronting many dangers in its journey while looking forward to gaining harvest in the west — as represented by the seed that it carries from Oklahoma. the more frantic were the efforts of the land turtle. 11) A sedan driven by a forty-year-old woman approached. a concrete wall four inches high. off the highway. The Oklahomans are able to find refuge because of their common plight by suppressing their individual needs in favor of becoming one solid unit instead of being just a mere group of individuals. for the highway was burning hot. She saw the turtle and swung to the right. In spite of the dire circumstances that the Joads and other Oklahoman families faced. and went on. the turtle was also portrayed to be “dragging” its belongings — its “highdomed shell” over the grass. each member of the 5 . more efficient group. Moreover. like many Oklahomans. the turtl is determined to reach its destination: a more fruitful land. Two wheels lifted for a moment and then settled. The migrant families became united and therefore turned into a larger. Little by little the shell slid up the embankment until at last a parapet cut straight across its line of march. the wheels screamed and a cloud of dust boiled up. With the ideology that they must truly become one. 11) Akin to the Joads. Pushing hind legs strained and slipped. but more slowly. Furthermore. The Joads and the turtle are also alike as they grow more “frantic” as their obstacles increase both in number and in difficulty. boosting the shell along. And as the cars moved westward. which had been units of which the boundaries were a house at night. women to cook the supper and to watch while the family fed. A glossary of literary terms. each member of the family grew into his proper place. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. Howard. becoming and even larger group: The families. In the long hot light. arose as an important and compelling response to all the naturalistic forces that the Joad family was dealing with. each member had his duty and went to it without instruction: children to gather wood. Their ability to be a part of a group.family finally grew into his own proper place and duties in order for the family to function more capably. had his place in the car. they were silent in the cars moving slowly westward. Rinehart and Winston. 6 . Toronto: Holt. hot evenings. so that in the weary. (1988). changed their boundaries. (p. the migrant families “integrated” with one another. REFERENCES: Abrams. to carry water. J. 132) The Joad family was able to confront the determining naturalistic forces through human spirit. men to pitch the tents and bring down the beds.H. so that each member. which resulted to their sincere love and concern for one another. a farm by day. when the cars pulled into the camping places. old and young. M. but at night they integrated with any group they found. (p. grew into his duties. (1985) Form and history in American literary naturalism. 132) Eventually.