The Grapes of Wrath

How does Steinbeck create a change of tone and mood between the beginning of the chapter and the end?

Chapter 25

Asked by
Last updated by Aslan
Answers 1
Add Yours

The beginning of the chapter describes spring renewel full of life and health.  Spring is beautiful in California, for behind the fruitfulness of the trees in the orchards are men of understanding who experiment with the seeds and crops to defend them against insects and disease. The end of the chapter describes sorrow and death. The fruits meant for the poor become rotten and soft. The rotten grapes are still used for wine, even if contaminated with mildew and formic acid. The rationale is that it is good enough for the poor to get drunk. The decay of the fruit spreads over the state. The men who have created the new fruits cannot create a system whereby the fruits may be eaten. There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation, a sorrow that weeping cannot symbolize. Children must die from pellagra because the profit cannot be taken from an orange. You can check out more at the link below:

Source(s)

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-grapes-of-wrath/study-guide/summary-chapter-22-26