Syntax

During The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck switches back and forth between the Joad family and migrant farmers in general. He uses quotation marks when the chapter is about the Joad family. However, when it is about migrant farmers in general, Steinbeck neglects to put quotation marks. This is probably because he wants to show that when the migrant farmers are talking, it could be any migrant farmer throughout the nation, or even anybody who has had unfairness thrust upon them. It also shows how each migrant farmer was not thought of as an individual person, but rather as a stereotypical migrant farmer in a large group. Another difference in syntax and style between the parts about the Joad family and the parts about the migrant farmers in general is that the migrant farmer chapters are much shorter compared to the chapters about the Joad family. This is probably because the general parts are used to more broadly and Steinbeck shows more of his views on society during these parts rather than the detail of the Joad’s journey. The sections about the migrant farmers are the most meaningful parts in the book and are the best parts to read because they are short and concise which really gets Steinbeck’s point across. Also, the short chapters provide the reader relief from the rest of the book and are a place where Steinbeck can write about what he feels. The short chapters with no quotation marks are unique to this book and separate the two separate stories manageably for the reader.