One great technique used by authors to engage readers in their story is foreshadowing. John Steinbeck uses this technique several times throughout this novel. The first time it was seen was when Jim Casy asked to join the Joad family on their journey. Granma Joad told him, "They was some folks figgered it was a good respectable thing to have a preacher along. Ef somebody died, preacher buried'em. Weddin' come due, or overdue, an there's your preacher. Baby come, an' you got a christener right under your roof (Steinbeck 101)." This is considered to be foreshadowing because it puts the idea that one of these events might happen in the future, and in the case of The Grapes of Wrath they did. The family suffered through death and welcomed a baby along the journey to California. Another example of foreshadowing used in the novel was the rumor spreading that the amount of jobs in California was a lower amount than expected. Many people tried to tell the Joads this, but the family continued to stay hopeful. Readers, however, questioned what would really happen in California.
Along with foreshadowing, John Steinbeck uses tones in order to get the reader emotionally involved in the story. He uses a sympathetic tone in the beginning to get the reader feeling bad for the Joads, and he uses an angered tone at the end to let the reader feel the conflicts between the characters. By doing this, readers feel for the characters which in return gets them interested in the plot.
My favorite technique of the novel is one that I haven't seen in any other book. Steinbeck includes brief chapters in The Grapes of Wrath that teach little lessons. They were a great way to teach the lesson of humanity in examples that hold true to the time period. The chapters were also a great way to take the stressful storyline off the readers every once in a while and give them extra knowledge away from the plot of the story.
[Bibliography]
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.
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