This Land is Your Land-Grapes of Wrath Chapters 1-10

In the book The Grapes of Wrath the land plays a big part in the story. The land is used by the author, Steinbeck, to tell the passing of time, describe the time period, and set the mood for scenes and passages in the story. The main family, the Joads, define themselves with the land by relating the land to their history. Their land held for them their family so in a way, the Joad family was a part of the land. hat plow, that harrow, remember in the war we planted mustard? Remember a fella wanted us to put in that rubber bush they call guayule? Get rich, he said¨(111). In this quote the Joad family is sort of remembering all the good times with their farm before they leave for California. All of their history and memories are linked with this land and they are very connected to it. Leaving is very hard for them. ¨But you can start. Only a baby can start. You and me-why, we´re all that´s been The anger of a moment, the thousand pictures, that´s us. This land, this red land, is us; and the flood years and the dust years and the drought years are us. We can´t start again¨(113). This quote really solidifies for the audiences understanding as the family states it. This family is the land were they have lived, fought, and grown. The land is the center of the story and the characters. It is like the Native Americans that have lived on the American land then before any other group of people. They were and are very much a part of the land. They relay on it and it is their history and their livelihood. They were forced to leave and it really caused problems for everyone. Writers such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman have also grasped onto this idea. They put land above all of their other topics knowing that it is the most important things in life that we depend on. Since Native Americans to American writers to the Joad family, the land is an important part of everyone´s life and like the Joads, becomes part of the history and life.