turtle turtle
TURTLE, TURTLE John Steinbeck is an author known worldwide for his compelling stories and novels. ... The turtle is one of these symbolisms that Steinbeck uses as a key element in the novel. ... One significant symbol in The Grapes of Wrath is the turtle which appears in Chapter 3 of Steinbecks novel, and which later is picked up by Tom on the roadside, shortly after he was paroled from McAlester prison. At first a woman driving a car swerves to avoid the turtle as it crosses the highway, then a man in a truck swerves to try and hit the turtle. The truck just touches the edge of the turtles shell, and "flipped the turtle like a tiddly-wink. ... In this instance the turtle symbolizes the tenacity of the vagrant farmers in California. The turtle gives its best to get up the hill, but when it gets to the peak, it stumbles back down.