Community In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath
John Steinbeck has been a pillar of American literature for decades. His work, especially Grapes of Wrath and The Harvest Gypsies, helped to shed light on some of the issues that plagued California, and the rest of the United States during the Great Depression. His works accentuate the theme of the importance of community, especially when those with the power to help don 't. These novels take place during the Great Depression, a time when there were very few jobs, little stability, widespread poverty, and diminished hopes for the future. This era sets the stage on which these stories take place. During these harsh times, many people turned to the government or banks for help, but they were turned down by the banks because they wanted a profit, or they bankrupted, and the government 's resources were stretched so low they could only help few people. In The Harvest Gypsies, the migrant workers are seen to band together,but not as much as in Grapes of Wrath. “Noah and Uncle John and the preacher began to unload the truck. They helped Grampa down and sat him on the ground and he sat limply, staring ahead of him. These workers are seen through a lens that makes it seem as though they are …show more content…
"You goddamn right," said Grampa weakly. "Sicker 'n hell." Sairy Wilson walked slowly and carefully toward him. "How 'd you like ta come in our tent?" she asked. "You kin lay down on our mattress an ' rest." He looked up at her, drawn by her soft voice. "Come on now," she said. "You 'll git some rest. We 'll he 'p you over" (Grapes of Wrath 184). Large communities are also formed and supported by the federal government, “The watchman stepped up on the running board. "Drive down the end of that line an ' turn right. You 'll be in Number Four Sanitary Unit." "What 's that?" "Toilets and showers and wash tubs." Ma demanded, "You got wash tubs—running water?" "Sure." "Oh! Praise God," said Ma… Tom 's eyes drew
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Harvest Gypsies Analysis
599 Words | 3 PagesDuring the 1930’s thousands of Dust Bowl migrant workers made their way from the central plain into California seeking work. In their search for work and some form of income many of the migrants and their families ended up in Hoovervilles, which were makeshift roadside camps that were greatly impoverished. Steinbeck was able to travel through the labor camps and recorded the horrible living conditions of the migrant workers. The collection of these recordings was published as Harvest Gypsies. During the tours of the labor camps he saw the oppression of the workers first hand in addition to workers being demoralized by wealthy land owners.
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Migrant Workers In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath
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Comparison Of Empathy In The Jungle And The Grapes Of Wrath
870 Words | 4 PagesIn The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck describes a pair of Depression-era children as they rush “immediately to the candy case” inside a diner, staring at the sweets “not with hope or … desire, but with a kind of wonder that such things could be” (51-52). This heartbreaking image of two poor boys staring at candy in awe elicits empathy because it implies that their parents are struggling to provide for them and that they have never eaten candy due to the hardship and poverty they were raised in. Similarly, Steinbeck elicits empathy in “The Harvest Gypsies” as he chronicles the unsanitary living conditions of California migrant workers during the 1930s. One family’s rotting tent is “full of flies … buzzing about the foul clothes of the children” and a baby, “who has not been bathed” for days (41). The image of flies swarming around the tent evokes empathy for the workers, who have to endure the pests on a daily basis, because it suggests disease, poverty, and feelings of disgust and hopelessness.
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How Is Curley's Wife Different From Of Mice And Men
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Of Greed And Selfishness In John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath
277 Words | 2 PagesIn Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, a main theme would be greed and selfishness brought on by cultural and economic pressures. The Grapes of Wrath is set in the dust bowl era and depicts a time period in which jobs were scarce and homelessness was prominent. The story is centered around the Joads family who are forced off their land due to the money hungry businessmen. In addition, one of the men driving a tractor for the land owners happens to be a former tenant farmer. When asked by the Joad’s family why one of their own is working for the banks the driver explains, “I got damn sick of creeping for my dinner- and not getting it.
The Power Of The Joad In The Grapes Of Wrath
2799 Words | 12 PagesHow does a mere individual compare to the strength and power of an institution? In John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck illustrates the struggles of the migrant population during the era of the Dust Bowl migration in America. As the novel follows the family of the Joads, it depicts the many societal and economic challenges these migrants face as they leave their land in Oklahoma seeking out new opportunities in California. Steinbeck’s novel demonstrates the struggle that the Joads and other Okies, migrant families from Oklahoma, face as the resulting economic and cultural changes from the Great Depression affect American society.
Literary Analysis: The Grapes Of Wrath
1880 Words | 8 PagesIntercalary Chapter Literary Analysis During the Great Depression, the nation as a whole was stripped of financial security and forced into a survivalist way of living. This changed the ways that people interacted with one another and the overall mentality of society. In the Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is torn from their land and find themselves with nothing, a common story for migrant farmers of that time, derogatorily called “Okies” by Californians. But this is not the only group that is struggling, the entire county was in a state of panic and bruteness, no matter how “well off” they seemed to be.
Allusions In The Grapes Of Wrath
961 Words | 4 PagesJohn Steinbeck, in the novel, Grapes of Wrath, identifies the hardships and struggle to portray the positive aspects of the human spirit amongst the struggle of the migrant farmers and the devastation of the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck supports his defense by providing the reader with imagery, symbolism and intense biblical allusions. The author’s purpose is to illustrate the migrant farmers in order to fully exploit their positive aspects in the midst of hardships. Steinbeck writes in a passionate tone for an audience that requires further understanding of the situation.
The Grapes Of Wrath Chapter 11 Analysis
294 Words | 2 PagesThe tone of chapter 11 in John Steinbeck's, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is sympathetic, sad and hopeless. His word choice and syntax show how the sad houses were left to decay in the weather. His use of descriptive words paints a picture in the reader's mind. As each paragraph unfolds, new details come to life and adds to the imagery. While it may seem unimportant, this intercalary chapter shows how the effects of the great depression affected common households.
Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Analysis
1076 Words | 5 Pages“You come into the world alone and you go out of the world alone, yet it seems to me you are more alone while living than even going and coming.” - Emily Carr. John Steinbeck was a notorious American author widely known for his novel The Grapes of Wrath published in 1939, many of his other novels follow the recurring theme surrounding the problems faced by the lower class following the Great Depression. In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck narrates the story of two young men by the names of George Milton and Lennie Smalls. Both gentlemen come from Weed, California, and move from place to place in hopes to find employment during the peak of the Great Depression in the United States.
Friendship In Of Mice And Men
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath
1281 Words | 6 PagesMany scholars regard John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men as two of his most important works. In both novels, an omnipotent third-person narrator follows the story of those related to the farming population during the Great Depression. Their similar setting and writing style allows each to share a multitude of comparative qualities, including themes, symbols, historical context, plot, and other literary devices. Themes in Steinbeck’s
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