Chapters 1-10 (H) Repetition.

          In the Grapes of Wrath it is common to see many words repeated in the same sentence or passage. Repetition is key to describing the scene and items to give emphasis and for the reader to remember those specific words. It emphasizes the conditions which they are living in and what it felt like to live in the Dust Bowl Era. On the first page of Chapter One, "To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth." Also, the last sentence of the first paragraph, "The surface of the earth crusted, a thin hard crust, and as the sky became pale, so the earth became pale, pink in the red country and white in the gray country." (1)
          The red country and gray country are repeated many times in the first paragraph alone. The "red" country is the western part of Oklahoma. The soil in the west is red due to the high content of iron in the soil. The "gray" country is the eastern part of Oklahoma. The gray hue in the soil is what distinguished each soil and so people could tell where it came from. The dust came from every place and all created dust storms. Repeating the color "red" and "gray" contribute to the story by reminding the reader that Oklahoma was full of dust storms and dust that traveled far from where it originated from.
red and gray country
          There is also the mention of earth and crust many times. The very descriptive description of the ground and what Oklahoma looked like is to emphasize the conditions they were living in. The ground was very dry and made it difficult to farm and grow food for themselves. The area was stricken by very high, scorching temperatures and drought that seemed to last forever. The ground was not moist and full of crops but dry, dusty, and hard. It was difficult for families to make a living with the conditions.