Chapters 7-13

                All I have been thinking about since I started the book are the intercalary chapters. I’m sure other books use them too but this is the first time I’ve read a book with them. I think they are one of the most creative literary tools I’ve ever seen. The rest of the book would seem a little dry without them. I also find it interesting how the book’s status has changed. We are now reading it as a required piece in English class. Upon its original release, everyone hated it. It was banned and burned in town’s because most people were in denial about how terrible America really was at the time. America didn’t want a terrible depiction that was as accurate as The Grapes of Wrath and the book was even theorized to be part of a communist conspiracy. That’s how much the book was hated. Eventually, Eleanor Roosevelt supported John Steinbeck and basically told everyone to shut the hell up and calm down. In the end, Steinbeck was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature. That just goes to show the accuracy of the tales within the book. However, the accuracy is not enough to make me really enjoy the book. The intercalary chapters hold the true draw for me. I had researched the book before reading it and that’s how I learned about how terribly it was received. I never would have guessed if it wasn’t for that fact that I accidently stumbled upon an article that explained why the book was considered so terrible at the time of release.

                I am appreciating Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck because it has a literary tool that I had not seen before. An example if what I mean comes from chapter 3, known as an intercalary chapter, beginning on page 14. “Over the grass at the roadside a land turtle crawled, turning aside for nothing, dragging his high-domed shell over the grass.” I think this is relevant because it helps tell the story and the stories are in the same universe as the rest of the chapters and there is evidence that shows this like how chapter 4 begins with the main character picking up a turtle from the road. So far, the themes in The Grapes of Wrath remind me of something important in my life. We studied the Great Depression in history class but this book was only an honorable mention. I think it should have been part of the study. We would not have had to read the whole book but at least some selections to help depict what the Great Depression and dust bowl was really like.

                I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book because I feel like the intercalary chapters are going to have a final conclusion. I’m sure it will be satisfying. What’s probably going to happen next is the format will continue and chapters will alternate. They will all stay in the same universe and everything will be wrapped up in the end.