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Humanism In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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Unselfish concern for the welfare of others without expectation of reward, recognition, or return is the golden rule of humanism. To give is to receive especially when it truly comes from the heart. Giving without expecting anything in return is an art of life. When disaster and hardship strikes, lending a hand without expecting anything in return is doing things for the greater good that drives home the true meaning of humanity. In our society, there is a great level of inequality that creates hardship for some individuals. As there are a lot of problems in the world, it is up to us to help each other out in times of need. Throughout the book, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck displayed humanism through the characters when they faced hardship …show more content…

A society where if you are born poor more than likely you'll be poor. The obstacles and struggles that people face is what test people. The farmers and Joads have been affected by the recent drought, which has caused them to not bring in any money. The bank and the landowners have been kicking tenants out of their land. The economic depression affected families who were not rich.Banks greed and guilt is what started this it drove lots of families to get up and leave to find work. In the book John Steinbeck states, "And now they were weary and frightened because they had gone against a system they did not understand and it had beaten them. They knew the team and the wagon were worth much more. They knew the buyer man would get much more, but they didn't know how to do it. Merchandizing was a secret to them"(Steinbeck,pg.97). John Steinbeck states that this "game" that they are in is something that seems like they cannot win. This system that people are in is a system that seems like it cannot be defeated, their the pawns in a game of chess. This struggle that they are facing will not break down the families they will find a solution and work together to overcome

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