Another short chapter! Halleluiah!
This is actually one of my favorite chapters in the entire book, and that's not just because it's two pages and a paragraph long. This chapter makes good use of both symbolism, imagery, and foreshadowing, and of course, all three of those things make me super happy.
The symbolism was very clever for this chapter. In reality, the chapter was about a turtle crossing a dangerous highway, but I think that Steinbeck meant something by it. I think the turtle symbolizes either Tom Joad or the entire Joad family, whom the reader has yet to meet. It says, "The barley beards slid off his shell, and the clover burrs fell on him and rolled to the ground." I think the seeds are supposed to represent worries or troubles and hardships. Later on, Tom shows a peseverance to these troubles similar to the turtle and doesn't let the family hardships effect their progress.
Eventually, the turtle reaches the embankment where the highway starts. He finds it difficult to climb because of his heavy shell, and accidentally allows a red ant and a head of wild oats to slow him down. After a while, he gets onto the highway and continues. I think the embankment represents the family's future journey to California, during which they come across a few obstacles, but nothing that halts them for too long.
The turtle gets onto the highway and starts to cross when a car swerves to miss it, scaring the turtle and making it hurry faster. Then a truck comes that hits the turtle on purpose and knocks it on its back. However, the turtle gets back on its feet and gets off the highway. The wild oat head begins dropping seeds, and the turtle unknowingly plants them as he continues on his way.
The cars represent the two major conflicts that strike the family when they arrive in California. The second one, however, shakes Tom awake and causes him to make decisions that figuratively plant the seeds of the future, and I think this section of the chapter foreshadows this.
I'm pretty sure this is one of my favorite chapters. I'm such a sucker for foreshadowing and symbolism.
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