How is the grapes of wrath structured?

Steinbeck gives us a lot of detail. Sometimes it's Ma Joad's empathetic but worried face and sometimes it is a turtle on a road. The structure of his novel is built on detail as well as the Joad family's trip to California. Throughout the Joad family's travels, Steinbeck gives us historical and social context. At times he uses a stream-of-consciousness narrative to bring the reader into the experiences of these characters. Steinbeck also gives a surreal dreamlike quality to the hardships that unfold for the Joad family.