Character Analysis Of Jody In The Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck

In this novella, John Steinbeck used four short stories to portray how a naïve young boy transformed into a man through his encounters with different unfortunate events. These harsh truths brought young Jody out of his fantasy perfect world and showed him the tough reality of life. Through these various events, he has learnt what disappointment is, what death and life is and how life does not always go his way. He also learnt that despite all these negative aspects of life, these were exactly the very same things that guided him through his passage to manhood. Starting from the first page through the end, John Steinbeck took us through the journey of little Jody’s transformation into a responsible, sensible, mature young man.
The story began …show more content…
Jody is confronted with the cyclical processes of birth, aging, and death as harsh and inevitable biological realities as he ventures down his path towards maturity. Though Jody witnesses death through the animals he killed and the slaughtering of animals on the ranch, the horrible, drawn out suffering of Gabilan's sickness and eventual death is new to Jody, who ultimately stands bravely in the face of this death and even helps Billy Buck hold up Gabilan's head when he cuts a hole in his windpipe. This is one of the very first critical moments when Jody experienced the harsh reality of many disappointments that life has in store for him came when Gabilan died despite all the effort that both he and Billy put in to save the pony. Jody's first confrontation with the inescapable nature of death occurs in "The Gift" with the loss of Gabilan. As a little boy who never had to deal with the death of a loved one, Jody took it hard. Jody reacts to his ultimate helplessness and inability to save his pony with anger and rage. He violently attacks a buzzard that was plucking the eye out of Gabilan's dead carcass. Even though he knew that the buzzards did not kill his pony, as a young boy, Jody knows of no other way of dealing with the frustration of losing something you love and not being able to do anything about it. Gabilan's death is necessary for Jody to achieve a new plateau of …show more content…
Carl was mean to Gitano. Recognizing the parallel between Gitano and Easter, Jody comforted Gitano by saying that his dad didn't mean what he said. He finally started to understand his father. Jody recognizes the cultural conflict between Gitano and his father who now owns the ranch and maintains his right to the land. In the bunkhouse that night Jody accidentally sees Gitano hold a beautiful old rapier that he says was his father's. Jody recognizes the importance of the rapier to Gitano and understands that he must never tell anyone about it. In the morning, both the old man and Easter are gone. Sense of emptiness that Jody felt when they left. The mountains represent to Jody not only adventure but independence. When he meets Gitano, he first thinks of the old man as representing adventure and excitement. But soon Gitano takes on new meaning when Jody sees the parallel between him and the old horse and finds Gitano reverently holding his rapier-he is of another place and time, something Jody can learn from and respect. Like the rapier, Jody recognizes that he can't destroy the secret memories of the old. Jody encounters the prospect of his own death in "The Great Mountains." Though he has already experienced the death of his beloved pony, he does not sense the larger significance of death until the old paisano, Gitano,