The Geography in
Grapes of Wrath
Karen Adkins and Gabe Haywood
Quote #1 - Chapter 1
“To the red country and part of the gray
country of Oklahoma, the last rains came
gently, and they did not cut the scarred
earth” (Steinbeck, 1).
Quote #1 Explanation
● Red = red soil Gray = normal
● Red represents danger and warning
● Gray represents confusion and sadness
Quote #1 Paragraph
The red country and gray country has a literal meaning that there
was a portion of land in Oklahoma full of red clay and another of
with normal brown-gray color. By looking deeper into the quote, you
can look at what those two colors represent. Red is usually
associated with danger, bad, warnings, and blood. Gray is
compared with confusion or uncertainty or even sadness. This can
be viewed as a form of foreshadowing for what the Joad family
would endure during the journey ahead of them.
Quote #2 pg. 229
“‘I can’t he’p it I can’t leave this here water.’”
“‘It ain’t no use, I’m sad, but I can’t he’p it. I
got to go.’ He turned abruptly and walked
downstream along the shore” (Steinbeck,
229).
Quote #2 Explanation
● Noah has problems
● He must overcome them
● River gives him hope
Quote #2 Paragraph
Noah has problems that he wants to overcome. He knows
that if he continues to go on the journey, that he might not
be able to handle it because it would be overwhelming.
When he sees the river, he sees hope; the river/water
represents hope. Since he is the first to leave freely, it
shows the beginning of the Joad family falling apart.
Quote #3 pg. 222
“‘what’s the desert like?’ ‘I don’t know. I seen pitchers once
says a desert. they was bones ever’place.’... ‘we gonna see
them bones?’ ‘Maybe, I don’ know. Gonna go ‘crost her at
night That’s what Tom said. Tom says we get the livin’
Jesus burned out of us if we go in daylight’” (Steinbeck,
222).
Quote #3 Explanation
● Foreshadowing
● Hard path
● Oasis
Quote #3 Paragraph
When they are talking about the desert, they are
foreshadowing what is to come. The desert is dry and hot
during the day, which is difficult to go through. In the future
they will encounter more situations that are painful,
lamentable, but they have to keep going so that they can
make it through the end. Or at least to an oasis.
Synthesis Paragraph
Geography is one of the most important ways that the author can use
symbolism thought out a work. Merely using the location and the land’s
features, the reader can learn what kind of theme and mood the author is trying
to create for the readers as well as for the characters. The peace and hope of
the river, to the confusing unknown of the red country and the gray county, all
the way to the determination to escape a fiery desert; these are all examples of
how a location can affect the mood and attitude of the storyline and even the
writing style.
Works Cited
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1939. Print.
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading
between the Lines. New York: Quill, 2003. Print.