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Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—Spring in California:
Steinbeck employs lush imagery when describing the fertile lands of California during the Joad family’s first spring in the state:
THE SPRING IS BEAUTIFUL in California. Valleys in which the fruit blossoms are fragrant pink and white waters in a shallow sea. Then the first tendrils of the grapes, swelling from the old gnarled vines, cascade down to cover the trunks. The full green hills are round and soft as breasts. And on the level vegetable lands are the mile-long rows of pale green lettuce and the spindly little cauliflowers, the gray-green unearthly artichoke plants.
Steinbeck describes the spring in California in great visual detail, noting the “first tendrils of the grape, swelling from the old gnarled vines” and the “mile-long rows of pale green lettuce” and other crops. He invokes the sense of smell, noting the “fragrant pink” fruit blossoms, and the sense of touch in his description of the “full green hills” that are “round and soft as breasts.” Here, Steinbeck’s imagery emphasizes the fecundity of California, which seems ripe for agriculture. There is, however, also a sense of irony in Steinbeck’s lush imagery. Despite the natural fertility of the region, many workers such as the Joads experience frequent hunger due to human laws that divide the fertile land into private property.
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