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How Does Steinbeck Use Ethos In The Grapes Of Wrath

Decent Essays

John Steinbeck is the renowned author of novels such as Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and The Pearl. In his novel The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck expounds on the theme of the cruelty people inflict on one another as well as how they can overcome the inhumanity of others. Steinbeck’s artfully demonstrates that this cruelty is often born out of the human tendency to think of oneself first; others, if they are thought of at all, come second.
In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck effectively uses the rhetorical strategy of pathos to illuminate the dehumanization of migrant workers during the Great Depression. His story revolves around the Joad family, as they travel from Oklahoma to California in search of work. Steinbeck appeals to the reader’s empathy …show more content…

This style of writing is a crucial part of the power of The Grapes of Wrath, because this writing draws you into the plight of the Joads and their fellow migrants.
The above passage is also an example of Steinbeck’s masterful use of imagery. Steinbeck’s vivid descriptions of the setting and the thoughts of the characters allow the reader to step into the story, as if they themselves had become a part of it. Another example of Steinbeck’s imagery occurs near the end of the novel, when the Joads are moving into a train car:
“Ma opened the door of the house and stepped inside. The floor was splashed with grease. In the one room stood a rusty tin stove and nothing more. The tin stove rested on four bricks and its rusty stovepipe went up through the roof. The room smelled of sweat and grease. Rose of Sharon stood beside Ma. ‘We gonna live here?’” (Steinbeck 408).
This quote is a prime example of the poor living conditions to which the Joads have become accustomed. The reader may be sitting on a comfortable couch or in a grand library; still, they can almost smell the grease and the sweat, see the hazy light through the dirty

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