This describes the use of symbolism and transcendentalism through the book The Grapes of Wrath. It gives an overview of the term "transcendentalism" and how Jim Casy relates to it.

John Steinbeck is an author known worldwide for his compelling stories and novels. One such novel is The Grapes of Wrath. This novel was written to expose the plight of those dispossessed from their lands by the Great Depression. Steinbeck uses several literary elements to help relate the story to the reader. In The Grapes of Wrath, as in his other works, Steinbeck relies on the use of symbolism to strengthen and enhance the plot. …

…them, and even more the life of all things. The turtle represents the struggle of the vagrants as the keep moving, trying to find that ideal that drew them to California, looking for something better than what they had, which was essentially nothing, other than each other. The theme Steinbeck is trying to relate through the story is this: united, mankind can advance; divided, mankind will fall, but only half, never a full step back.