In John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath the theme of comparing the rich and poor occurs consistently throughout the book. On page 266 when Casy spoke about the rich man with a million acres, he made a statement about even though he owns so much land and has so much money, he may feel poor inside. Steinbeck uses repetition by restating the word “poor” many times allowing the reader to comprehend how the word ‘poor” means more than just the lack of money. He also compares the rich man and Mrs. Wilson. The man being who everyone desired, rich and owning a lot of land. While Mrs. Wilson was just another migrant, very poor and owned nothing besides what could fit in the car. However, Steinbeck refers to Mrs. Wilson as more wealthy than the
Grapes of Wrath is similar to Roger and Me with a couple significant differences. Both groups of workers were losing their jobs, but the land workers in Grapes of Wrath were losing more than their jobs. The tenant men would no longer work in the fields but they were also losing their homes at the same time. In Flint, when the factory workers were laid off, they still had a home to live in for at least a short period of time and would have had food in their cabinets. They had been paid well and possibly had a little money in the bank.
During the Great Depression there was huge separation of wealth. This is one of the key problems in The Grapes of Wrath. Many families, including the Joads, were forced into starvation, homelessness, and migration because of the economic and natural problems facing the United States. Today this problem still exists. While it does not affect citizens in such a drastic way, many families are forced to live off of a lower income and suffer while the few hold a high percentage of wealth.
Throughout history, authors utilize the written word to either expose grievous faults within society or celebrate the feats of society. John Steinbeck is certainly no exception as he has constructed many pieces which serve to enlighten the audience on the accomplishments and faults of society. The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck attempts to expose faults within society which include prejudice and the overwhelming desire for greed. He does so through his use of allusions, diction, and characterization. John Steinbeck in the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, attempts to expose one of society’s most detrimental flaws--prejudice through the use of repetition and characterization.
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath elaborates on
In his novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck explores this theme while telling the story of a poor family’s journey during the Dust Bowl. In the novel, Steinbeck uses Ma Joad to portray generosity is perceived differently through social classes (poverty?). Ma Joad giving the children stew gives children false hope of a bright future. After making stew for the whole Joad family, Ma sees she has some leftovers in the pot. Many “strange children” crowded Ma Joad waiting for her next move.
Jim Casy was the moral voice and religious center of the chapter. Steinbeck uses him as a religious icon and his initials J.C further conclude to the fact that Steinbeck designed him as a figure of Christ. Casy discovers the rules and regulations of the Christian faith severely confining and clearly extraneous to actual situations. As a preacher and a history of many sexual relations with women he converts. Casy originally felt immense guilt for what he had done in his past and he worried the responsibilities he direct to Jesus.
Intercalary 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.
The 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.
The Grapes of Wrath details an era of American History where many citizens were unemployed as a result of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl that occurred during the same decade. The combination of these issues led many families–a large portion of those from the southern Midwest–to migrate to California, where they were forced to work for extremely low wages in order to provide for their families. After many years, America made it through the challenging economic and social times of the 30’s and 40’s, but problems surrounding low wages and income never completely vanished. In 2015, many low-income workers went on strike to protest the minimum wage, on which they were trying to survive (Horovitz 1). These workers included those from McDonald’s,
Frenchman Napoleon Bonaparte stated, “The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.” Bonaparte’s quote illustrates that many of those who fall into the pit of poverty are not there because they live dishonestly, cheat, and exploit others, rather they are there because they did quite the opposite. In fact, it is usually the few at the top of the ladder who acted in such a way. John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is the story of the Joad family, who like many others from that era and region, lost their farm due to drought and economic ruin. They got word that California had plenty of jobs, and therefore, they headed west.
John Steinbeck was a brilliant yet controversial writer whom was genuinely curious in the hope of an improved form of government and society. He was believed to be a communist at a time when many American citizens were still fearful of a communist takeover. His novel Grapes of Wrath is a superb example of literature written through the eyes of a Marxist characterized by a focus on disproportionate economic power, materialism versus spirituality, and the class conflict experienced by those suffering throughout the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. The entirety of Grapes of Wrath is acutely concentrated on the aspect of economic disparity and its resulting effects.
The book "To Kill a Mockingbird" describes different classes of people as been rich and poor. People classify themselves differently because some people are in poverty, while some are wealthy. Most wealthy people help the poor, but the main people they help are the Cunningham 's family. They help the Cunningham 's family because they are willing to work and they are hard working. People never help the Ewell 's family because they are rude, lazy, and they waste their money on alcohol.
Injustices, tragedies, and unfortunate circumstances have plagued humankind for all of existence. Many of these problems have arisen from the society of man, and could not be found in nature. The hatred, selfishness, prejudice, and maliciousness seen in so many injustices man created unnecessarily, as well as all the suffering it causes does not need to exist. If an individual witnesses a crime or injustice occurring, it is their responsibility to defend the weak and fight for whatever is morally right, even at the cost of themselves.
The term “American dream” was coined in 1931 by James Adams. It is defined as the dream of a land where life is fuller and richer for everyone. This dream has been shared by millions of people all over the world since America was discovered. People such as European immigrants, and even people born in the Americas who wanted to expand west. The Joad family’s journey is a prime example of the determinism families had to try to live the American dream.
Grapes of Wrath clearly illustrate the class struggle between workers and the upper class. Steinbeck displays the discrimination between the migrant people and landowners. Migrant workers are handled worse than animals, family’s or “Okies” are starving as food is wasted by the wealthy and the landowners maintain control through violence. “What do you want us to do? We can't take less share of the crop – we're half starved now.