A Disappointing Reminder

The Joad family has come a long way already. But the story has only just begun. Steinbeck, in his famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath, tells of the journey of this family looking for a better life. Their goal is to get to California. Everything up until this point has been centered on moving forward. Interestingly, Steinbeck stops this relentless movement when the Joad family reaches the Colorado River. He uses this river as a symbol for the remainder of their journey. It is a source of salvation and rest, a fount of newfound knowledge, and a point of great change.

During the Joads’ journey, water “grew scarce,” and quickly became a valuable resource for the travelers. The country of Arizona is made up of “jagged broken peaks” forming a wall, barring entrance to the “promised land” of California. Crossing the river is the only way to California; it is the salvation of the travelers. The Joads had been traveling in the darkness, but with the morning light came the sight of the river – a beacon of hope in their dreary plight. Not only does the sight alone provide a new emotional strength, a drive to go on, but its cool currents bring physical renewal as well. The family stops immediately after crossing the bridge to take it all in. They have arrived; they are finally in California. They descend to the water’s edge to take advantage of one of their last free pleasures. The men slip into the water and begin scrubbing themselves with the sand. As the dirt is washed away, so is the stress and tension brought on from the long journey thus far. The river symbolizes rest and renewal. The Joads will certainly need both for their trek across the desert.

This river is not just a symbol of sustenance, however. It quickly becomes a source of knowledge when they meet a father and a boy who are headed in the opposite direction. In the cool stream, they find out about the hard life in California. The father describes it as a “purty country” but also a place where work is hard to come by. He goes on to tell them about the cops and their mistreatment of the workers. At the river, the Joads begin to see that perhaps California is not the “promised land” as they had hoped. Although it serves as a symbol of rest, it is a bittersweet rest. It quickly becomes the symbol of new knowledge to the Joads, knowledge they would rather go without.

Finally, the river symbolizes a point of change, and new beginning, a gateway to a new life. This new life will not prove to be all that the Joads hope for, however. Nevertheless, the river symbolizes the changes which are beginning to occur within and around the family. After crossing the river, the Joads are called “Okies.” Their time there almost represents a baptism; they are given a new name and begin a new life. As Ma points, out, it is at the river that the group begins to fall apart. Noah abandons his family at the river, never to be seen again. The Joads leave the Wilsons at the river, never to return. The river symbolizes change, for better or for worse. The crossing of the river begins the crumbling of the family, and foreshadows what further changes the Joads will find in California.

The river as a whole symbolizes the disappointments of the Joad family. Though it is a source of rest and symbolizes renewal, it soon also becomes a source and symbol of disappointing knowledge and change. The Joads’ time at the river was briefly refreshing, but in the end the family comes out dissatisfied. Overall, it serves as a symbol of the hardships which they have faced and will face. Every time they experience some kind of blessing, they are hit with a harder trial. Steinbeck uses this symbol of the river to contribute to his theme of the human struggle. Its symbolic portrayal of disappointment serves as a reminder that life is not about ease, but man’s responses to the trials.