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Role Of Noncooperation In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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“The danger is here, for two men are not as lonely and perplexed as one...This is the beginning--from ‘I’ to ‘we’” (158). The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is the epic journey of the Joad family to California, and the struggles of all kinds of people during the Dust Bowl. Throughout the novel, John Steinbeck provides a pervasive social commentary on the function of human cooperation and noncooperation. Characters like Tom, Ma, Jim Casy, and even the greedy businessmen demonstrate how important it is to work with others and not against them. Through the effectiveness and uniting power of cooperation and family ties during times of adversity in The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck conclusively illustrates that two is truly better than one. Also, when the Joads and Wilsons join together in a mutually beneficial relationship, they become much stronger through sharing than they would have otherwise. When Tom asks the Wilsons to come along with their family, Ma makes the point that they “‘won’t be no burden. Each’ll help each, an [they’ll] all get to California’...the relationship was plain” (155). In this section, Steinbeck is obviously outlining the benefits of cooperation because neither family …show more content…

Through the two families in the beginning relying on each other, the long spiritual rambles of Casy, and the inefficiency of greed versus the efficiency of cooperation, Steinbeck shows how there is strength and safety in numbers. By incorporating this theme so seamlessly into the story of Great Depression migrants, Steinbeck’s social protest holds an emotional appeal: he’s effectively attacking the way society works and the greed and isolation produced by competitive capitalism. The Grapes of Wrath is calling for a regression back to simpler times where people put family first and felt compassion for one

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