GoW Sources Post

The source I read was Machines and Animals: Pervasive Motifs in "The Grapes of Wrath".  It is a journal about the importance of animals and machines in The Grapes of Wrath.  They are used as symbols of the hardships people travelling west have to endure.  Robert J. Griffin says, "These animals play a role in human life and the meaning behind the human condition in such a difficult period. Whether it was through the dog that ends up being brutally killed, or the abandoned cat waiting for its family to get home, or the turtle trying to reach the other side, Steinbeck uses the symbolic foreshadowing of these animals to portray the human behavior and condition."  This can also be seen through the animals left behind, and the new patrons of the abandoned homes.  Every detail Steinbeck writes is for a reason and the animals play a large role in the symbolism he uses.