존 스타인벡의 『분노의 포도』에 나타난 상징의 기교

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to study John Steinbeck's technique of the novel, especially technique of symbols in The Grapes of Wrath. As the title implies, The Grapes of Wrath is very rich in the biblical implications. Just as the name Jim Casy implies in its initials, he is a Jesus Christ in The Grapes of Wrath. Also the mythic model of this novel is the “exodus” in the Bible. The novel's three sections correspond to the oppression in Egypt, the exodus, and the sojourn in the land of Ganaan. Even though this parallel is not complete, but the grand design is there. Like the Israelites, the Joads are a homeless and persecuted people. They flee from oppression, wander through a wilderness of hardships, seeking their own Promised Land. However the Joads never find it in California. Not only biblical symbols but the other symbols are also very exquisite. The land turtle described in Ch. 3, for example, is the symbolic epitome in The Grapes of Wrath. The progress of the Okies is neatly foreshadowed in the description of the turtle's persistent forward movement. As the turtle drags his shell, the Joads drag their truck as home. Above all, the most important technique of symbols in The Grapes of Wrath is in the last scene of this novel. The final character chosen by the author to speak his main message is not Tom, but the Rose of Sharon, the most selfish character in the novel. Steinbeck shows and leads the readers and the Joads to a real home. The last scene is the final home toward which Jim Casy wished to lead the Joads and homeless people. In conclusion, the technique of symbols in The Grapes of Wrath is revealed variously. Especially, the description of the land turtle is foreshadowed in this novel implicitly as a symbolic epitome. Also, the brotherhood of all men, which Jim Casy suggests in the beginning of the novel, is realized through the Joads, especially through the most selfish character of the Joads. The final scene is an example of home where Jim Casy wished to lead the homeless people, and this scene clearly depicts Steinbeck's technique of symbols.