J-U-X-T-A-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N (Chapters 11-15, F)

Juxtaposition, in the literary sense, is the literary device that is employed in order to highlight the contrast between two entities, allowing for a deeper understanding of both entities and their use in their respective places. Authors juxtapose people, concepts, places, ideas, or other abstract entities, usually to bring about the difference in the two and then compare them. In Chapter 12 of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck uses two powerful instances of juxtaposition to highlight the struggle of moving west and to bring about the harsh realities of this movement.

On their journey to west, the migrant farmers are posed with their first negative:

[California] ain't that big. The whole United States ain't that big. It ain't that big. It ain't big enough. There ain't room enough for you an' me, for your kind an' my kind, for rich and poor together all in one country, for thieves and honest men. For hunger and fat. Whyn't you go back where you come from? (120)

Here, there is an evident juxtaposition of good versus bad. For instance, "rich and poor" (people), "thieves and honest men", and "hung[ry] and fat" (people) are juxtaposed. The reason for this juxtaposition is to bring out the lack of humanity in the world that was evident at the time. Steinbeck places these contrasting entities next to each other to show that only one or the other can survive; there is no compromise that can be worked out in order to accommodate such different peoples. These contrasting groups cannot, according to this use of juxtaposition, possibly be placed together in one society, where they can cooperate and advance as one united group. Instead, this juxtaposition brings out the ongoing theme of the inhumanity of men to other men, as one group of people, overcome by greed, desire, and want, cannot live with another group that is so largely different than it.

Later on, the migrant farmers face a challenge to their motives to move west:

Where does the courage come from? Where does the terrible faith come from? (122) 

An analysis of the author's rhetoric used in this quote shows that there are two interrogative sentences in a row with similar structure. This suggests that the authenticity of the whole idea of "courage" to go west is being questioned. Courage here is juxtaposed with "terrible faith," implying that courage is not a good trait in this case, but actually a detrimental one. It is characterized as being a disastrous belief that people have faith in, but in the end lets them down, thus being "terrible." The use of juxtaposition in this quote is to primarily indicate the negative results of courage; although historically proven to be a worthy and glorified characteristic, the courage that one possesses to move west and leave all else behind is, in actuality, an adverse belief that leads to fruitless ends.