Keywords: The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, style, fiction, realism, symbolism, dialect
Summary
The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, is an important literary example that reflects themes such as social injustice, poverty, and human dignity during the Great Depression in a profound artistic style. One of the main difficulties in translating this work is the adequate transfer of the stylistic elements used by the author the emotional tone of the language, dialects, symbolism, and descriptive devices - into another language. Steinbeck's style is characterized by a synthesis of realism and symbolism. He uses both simple folk language and poetic and metaphorical expressions. It is important to preserve these features in the translation process, because the impact of the work stems from this stylistic richness. In particular, the spoken language of the peasant and working class (dialects and accents) creates authenticity in the original text. In translation, the dilemma arises of either replacing these elements with a suitable dialect or adapting them to a neutral language. Another important stylistic feature is the intercalary chapters. These chapters describe the general social situation and run parallel to the main plot line. Their language is more poetic and symbolic. The rhythm, syntactic structure, and emotional intensity of these passages must be preserved in translation so that the author's ideological message is not lost. Symbolism also plays an important role. For example, the expression "grape of wrath" is a metaphor for social discontent and accumulated anger. In translating such expressions, a word-for-word approach is not enough; the correct rendering of the figurative meaning and context is essential.
