Juxtaposition

Ch.11-15, Assignment F

Juxtaposition is defined as "the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect." Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck often uses strong instances of juxtaposition continuously throughout the novel to emphasize what the struggles of moving to the west really are. Two examples are seen in the beginning of Chapter 12.


When the migrant farmers stop to get new tires they are told the negatives of California/America:


"It [California] ain’t that big. The whole United States ain’t that big. It ain’t that big. It ain’t big enough. There ain’t room enough for you an’ me, for your kind an’ my kind, for rich and poor together all in one country, for thieves and honest men. For hunger and fat. Whyn’t you go back where you come from?"(120)


The quote above is juxtaposing the good people of California vs. the bad. The person selling tires is highlighting how America has two different types of people, such as the "rich and poor" or "thieves and honest men" and who cannot all make it in not only California, but America. He uses the contrast between people to show that not both types are able to survive in America, and that these two groups cannot make it together in society, further adding on to the theme of community, which is something America does not have.


The migrants face multiple challenges on their journey to the west:


"Where does the courage come from? Where does the terrible faith come from?" (122)


Here, Steinbeck juxtaposes courage with faith by questioning the courage and faith from which the migrants seem to always have. However, courage and faith are being juxtaposed in a negative tone, hence the use of "terrible". The use of the word "terrible" in describing faith is used mainly to show how dreadful having so much courage and hope can really be. Having so much hope and then being let down is what really makes everything so "terrible" for the farmers.