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Discrimination In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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Due to disasters made by mankind and the natural world, many people are forced to leave their homeland in search for a new place to settle in. Just as the Joads and all the other migrant workers are constantly turned away, the refugees and immigrants of today are treated unequally and viewed as problems. John Steinbecks, The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of a family faced with prejudice and discrimination. Discrimination and prejudice are themes in this novel that are quite prevalent. During the time that Steinbeck wrote this novel, there were masses of people roaming the country in search for work. He wrote this story to illustrate the adversities that the families of the time had to face. Although more than seventy years have passed since …show more content…

Though it is true that with the entrance of foreigners there could be a chance at danger to the nation’s security, it is also true that refugees are put through some of the strictest security checks of anyone wanting to enter (Clark).This very action taken by the Governors expresses the same fears of plenty of Americans. The refugees are facing prejudice just as the Joads did. And the prejudice towards them is a harvest of fear. Along with prejudice, the refugees are faced with discrimination. One of this year’s GOP presidential candidates-Ted Cruz- suggested that the US government prioritize the refugees that are Christian (Strickland). A statement such as this is discriminatory in that there is unequal treatment based on religion. And likewise it is prejudice because Cruz claims that there is no risk that a Christian would commit a terrorist crime, clearly displaying favoritism to a specific religion (Strickland). Such favoritism makes the process of entering far more difficult for refugees. In The Grapes of Wrath, the migrants have plenty pinned against them as well. Because of their already tainted reputation, migrants such as the Joads have a rough time being able to support themselves. Families in the novel are unable to acquire jobs with livable

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