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Hyperbole
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Oklahoma in Spring:
Steinbeck begins his novel with vivid imagery in a lengthy description of the Oklahoma countryside:
TO THE RED COUNTRY and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth. The plows crossed and recrossed the rivulet marks. The last rains lifted the corn quickly and scattered weed colonies and grass along the sides of the roads so that the gray country and the dark red country began to disappear under a green cover. In the last part of May the sky grew pale and the clouds that had hung in high puffs for so long in the spring were dissipated.
Throughout the novel, Steinbeck pays careful attention to the natural world, describing the surrounding environment, seasonal changes, and local wildlife. Here, he describes the “gray country of Oklahoma” with specific visual detail, noting the “scarred earth” that has been damaged due to a combination of natural factors, such as drought, and human action, such as environmentally damaging agricultural practices. As the rain invigorates plant life, the “gray country and the dark red country,” two different regions in Oklahoma, “began to disappear under a green cover.” Further, Steinbeck notes that “the sky grew pale” in May as “the clouds that had hung in high puffs” began to clear. His use of imagery in this scene both establishes the setting and underscores the natural fertility of the region in spring.
Chapter 22
Explanation and Analysis—Weedpatch Camp:
Steinbeck uses detailed imagery to describe the Weedpatch government camp where the Joad family seeks shelter during their journey to California. After speaking to a night watchmen, who informs Tom that there are no police offers present as the migrants themselves govern the camp in an autonomous and democratic fashion, Tom looks around the camp as he walks back to the family car:
Tom walked down the street between the rows of tents. His eyes grew used to the starlight. He saw that the rows were straight and that there was no litter about the tents. The ground of the street had been swept and sprinkled. From the tents came the snores of sleeping people. The whole camp buzzed and snorted. Tom walked slowly. He neared Number Four Sanitary Unit and he looked at it curiously, an unpainted building, low and rough. Under a roof, but open at the sides, the rows of wash trays.
Steinbeck describes the “rows of tents” illuminated by starlight. Tom is surprised to see that the “rows were straight” and “there was no litter about the tents.” The floor, he observes, has been “swept and sprinkled” in a clean and orderly manner. Steinbeck also invokes the sense of sound, noting the “snores of sleeping people” in their tents. Though the Weedpatch camp has limited resources and its bathrooms are “unpainted, low and rough,” Steinbeck’s imagery nevertheless emphasizes the quiet dignity and communal spirit of the camp. When left to their own devices, Steinbeck suggests, most people can get along with each other in a harmonious fashion, as reflected in the orderly and self-governed camp.
Related Themes:
Chapter 25
Explanation and Analysis—Spring in California:
Steinbeck employs lush imagery when describing the fertile lands of California during the Joad family’s first spring in the state:
THE SPRING IS BEAUTIFUL in California. Valleys in which the fruit blossoms are fragrant pink and white waters in a shallow sea. Then the first tendrils of the grapes, swelling from the old gnarled vines, cascade down to cover the trunks. The full green hills are round and soft as breasts. And on the level vegetable lands are the mile-long rows of pale green lettuce and the spindly little cauliflowers, the gray-green unearthly artichoke plants.
Steinbeck describes the spring in California in great visual detail, noting the “first tendrils of the grape, swelling from the old gnarled vines” and the “mile-long rows of pale green lettuce” and other crops. He invokes the sense of smell, noting the “fragrant pink” fruit blossoms, and the sense of touch in his description of the “full green hills” that are “round and soft as breasts.” Here, Steinbeck’s imagery emphasizes the fecundity of California, which seems ripe for agriculture. There is, however, also a sense of irony in Steinbeck’s lush imagery. Despite the natural fertility of the region, many workers such as the Joads experience frequent hunger due to human laws that divide the fertile land into private property.
