The unconventionally written intervening chapters of Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," are designed to show readers a view of economic depression and social aspects of America during this time period. Steinbeck tells the reader the situation from a macroscopic point of view, when he writes the intercalated chapters. It is through these intercalated chapters that Steinbeck tells us about the struggle of many migrant farmers who are kicked out of their homes and begin living their lives on the streets, while trying to find places to work. Between each of these intercalated chapters there are narrative chapters in which Steinbeck gives readers a microscopic view of the situation, giving us an example of a migrant family's journey. Steinbeck uses the literary device of metaphor when recounting the Joad family's journey to California, compared to the other migrant families in the intervening chapters. In the novel, there are some of these chapters that help develop themes such as rebirth, community, perseverance, etc., through key symbols, to support the narrative chapters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the third chapter of the book, readers are presented with an insightful description of a turtle trying to cross the highway to get to the other side. What makes his journey so interesting is that readers get to see the experiences the turtle goes through, involving two different vehicles. In one case, a 40-year-old woman in a sedan “saw the turtle and turned right, off the highway, the tires screaming and a cloud of dust rising. The car returned to the road and continued, but more slowly. The turtle had returned to its shell, but was now running because the road was hot. (p. 15) This shows that even though the woman may have been in a hurry, she still took into account the fact that she wanted to avoid harming the turtle. In another case, a light truck approached the turtle and the driver “swerved to hit it.” (p.15) Even after hitting the turtle, the driver didn't bother to go back to see if the turtle was okay. The turtle is a symbol of these two contrasting events and perseveres in difficult situations. He keeps moving forward, no matter what kind of obstacle he faces. By looking at these two scenarios Steinbeck shows us that there are two types of people in this world. Those who manage to do something even if they end up harming others, and those who do something while trying not to harm others. During its travels, the turtle houses an oat stick in its shell. The head then falls off “and three of the seeds from the spearhead stick into the ground. And as the turtle continued to crawl along the bank, its shell dragged the earth onto the seeds.” (p. 16) Here the oat stick is a symbol of new life. Seeds that get stuck in the ground and covered with soil represent rebirth, as all these seeds will eventually produce more oat crops. Here, Steinbeck shows the reader that humanity will always go through a cycle of death and rebirth, regardless of the obstacles thrown at humans. This chapter greatly integrates some narrative chapters within the novel, especially chapters 20 and 28. In chapter 20, there is a scene where Ma Joad and Tom Joad are having a conversation where Tom wants to move on to Weedpatch. But he doesn't want to have it and instead tries to keep the family together. He tells Tom that they are "the people" (p. 280) and that they can "move on" (p. 280). This shows that Ma is willing to persevere through various forms of hardship, such as.