Naturalism in the Grapes of WrathIn John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family, and the changing world they live in are described from a naturalistic point of view. Steinbeck describes the Joads and their fellow migrants as simple, instinctive creatures, endlessly searching for paradise (Owens 129). Migrants and the powers that compel them to make their journey – nature and society – are frequently represented by animals. The Joads, when they first leave the house, are a group of simplistic animal-like people who barely understand or even realize their plight, but as the story progresses they begin to grow up and change. adapt to their new situation. They evolve from a small, insignificant group of creatures without a societal conscience to a single member of a much larger family: society. Steinbeck strongly describes the Joads and other displaced "Okies" as animalistic. They often speak of their predicament in simplistic terms that suggest they are not initially aware of the circumstances that force them to leave Oklahoma. Muley Graves, for example, tells Tom Joad and Jim Casy that the rest of the Joads, whose house was destroyed by a tractor, are "packed into John's house like gophers in a winter burrow (Steinbeck 47) ". This presents the image of a family of animals who have banded together, hoping to fend off a predator in larger numbers. They also see the societal problems around them in terms of predators; On one occasion, Casy asks a man at a gas station, "Have you ever seen one of those Gila monsters take over, sir?" (Cut him in half) and his head hangs down. And as he lies there, poison is dripping into the hole he made (Steinbeck 132)." This refers to the devastating and unbreakable grip of socio-economic forces at work above 'em (Lisca 96) A particularly important element that represents the migrants on a naturalistic level is the turtle (Lisca 97), the turtle advances painfully but steadily in an incessant search for a better place to live. Likewise, the Joads are constantly on the move. They don't really understand why they have to travel, but they accept it (Owens 131) and are determined to reach the promising paradise of California. will not be stopped by an obstacle..