Perseverance in Grapes of Wrath

I am now in chapter six and the turtle keeps making reappearances ever since it first showed up in chapter three. First it showed up and a short chapter was dedicated to following its progress over a short period of time. Next Joad picked it up as he passed it on the road. Now most recently it is trying to make its escape while the men are surveying the house.

Although it's just an animal and therefore has ingrown animal characteristics that govern what it does, I think it can be used as a great example for everybody.

For one thing, that turtle knows exactly where it's trying to get to. Slowly but surely it plods along and continues in the same direction that it wants to go. It always seems to be going southwest. Nobody knows why it is going in that direction or what seems to be so appealing in that direction that is attracting it, but for whatever reason the turtle is dead set on continuing in that direction. And I happen to find that admirable. Not a lot of people know where they are going in life or have any sort of idea how to get there or where to even begin, but that turtle knows exactly which way it wants to go, no matter how long it takes, and that is something special in my opinion.

Another reason the turtle is such a good example is because of its perseverance. Everybody has heard the story of the turtle and the hare, and the same concept applies here. Despite the fact that turtles are incredibly slow animals and cannot cover very uch ground very fast at all, the turtle continues to persevere and press on towards where it wishes to end up. Also the turtle encounters many obstacles on the way makes its journey difficult. Its shell was invaded by an ant, it was almost hit by one car and then actually hit by another, it was captured by Joad, and it tried and failed multiple times to escape from him before he finally let it go. But regardless of where it was on its journey, it never wavered in its course and continued to strive towards its goal. This unwavering dedication teaches a lesson many people today would do well to learn.