John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath: Alienation and Loneliness

1. In his writing, Steinbeck often implies that man is a victim of a hostile universe with little or no control over his destiny. What specific comparisons does he use to relate this idea? 

2. What does the highway represent? How about cars and trucks? What is their goal and direction? Is it significant that the turtle moves in a different direction (southward, crossing the road)? What happens to the turtle and its cargo? What does Steinbeck suggest?

3. In Steinbeck’s The Turtle, what does the trench that the turtle shell creates symbolize?

4. What examples from the Greek mythology does the lecturer provide comparing same to the endeavor of the turtle? How are they connected? Do you think it is an appropriate comparison?

5. Does the chapter under analysis have a pessimistic or an optimistic tone? Explain. Provide text evidence if necessary.

6. Of so many chapters of The Grapes of Wrath, why is this one of, if not the most significant in representation of the American society/culture?