Themes of Unity in the Grapes - 1599 Words

John Steinbeck#8217;s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a moving account of the social plight of Dustbowl farmers and is widely considered an American classic. The novel takes place during the depression of the 1930s in Oklahoma and all points west to California. Steinbeck uses the Joad family as a specific example of the general plight of the poor farmers. The Joads are forced off of their farm in Oklahoma by the banks and drought, and they, like many other families of the time, head out for the promised land of California. They endure much hardship along the way, and they finally make it to California only to find that work is scarce and human labor and life are cheap. Tom Joad, the eldest son in the family, starts the book freshly†¦show more content†¦Peter Lisca, an extensive critic of Steinbeck#8217;s work, explains #8220;#8230;in is last meeting with his mother, in which he asserts his spiritual unity with all men, it is evident that he has moved from material and pe rsonal resentment to ethical indignation, from particulars to principles#8221; (Lisca 98). Tom clearly changes his feelings and life goals from selfish to self-less. The power of unity is emphasized through the main events of the novel when the Joads leave the government camp and in the strike at the peach fields. The best part of their arduous and depressing stay in California, is when the Joads get a space in the government camp at Weedpatch. The government camp governs and polices itself, has clean camp spaces and large bathrooms with modern conveniences. Here the migrants are free from the malicious deputies, who continually beat up the migrants and burn down their paper shacks at the edges of different towns. #8220;When the migrants band together to run the camp at Weedpatch, a camp that is clean, decent, orderly and without deputy sheriffs from outside, the people are beginning to move toward a social ideal#8221; (Bowden 199). When the Joads are forced to leave the camp for lack of work and food, they realize the power of the camp as a group of people as compared to the dangers outside of the camp that they continually face. When Tom is saying goodbye toShow MoreRelated Themes Of Unity In The Grapes Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pages John Steinbecks novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a moving account of the social plight of Dustbowl farmers and is widely considered an American classic. The novel takes place during the depression of the 1930s in Oklahoma and all points west to California. Steinbeck uses the Joad family as a specific example of the general plight of the poor farmers. The Joads are forced off of their farm in Oklahoma by the banks and drought, and they, like many other families of the time, head out for the promisedRead More Grapes of Wrath Essay: Theme of Strength Through Unity987 Words   |  4 Pages Theme of Strength Through Unity in The Grapes of Wrathnbsp;nbsp; The traditional human family represents a necessary transition between self and community. In the difficult era of the 1930s, the familys role shifted to guard against a hostile outside world rather than to provide a link with it. With the drought in the Dust Bowl and other tragedies of the Great Depression, many were forced to look beyond the traditional family unit and embrace their kinship with others of similar necessityRead MoreScott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath1720 Words   |  7 PagesGreat Gatsby and John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath In the novels The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the authors present similar ideas, but use different methods to portray them. Similarities in themes can be made between the two texts; these include the pursuit of the American Dream and the use and misuse of wealth. Other themes are also central to each novel, the strength in unity and the influence of female charactersRead MoreAnalysis Of The Grape Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1236 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grape of Wrath is a novel that portrays the life of thousand Dust Bowl farmers using the Joad family. The Joad’s are a family who move from Oklahoma to California for new farming techniques and to live a better life. It uses the characters as moral lessons and to portray themes such as man’s inhumanity to man, dignity of wrath, and saving power of family and fellowship. Steinbeck uses multiple styles and narration to capture the movement of migrant farmers in the 1930s and the life of the JoadsRead More Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbecks Communist Manifesto1071 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath as a Communist Manifesto  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Steinbecks political views are quite evident within The Grapes of Wrath. The subject of much controversy, The Grapes of Wrath serves as a social protest and commentary. Steinbecks views as expressed through the novel tie directly into the Marxist ideals on communism.    Perhaps the first thing Steinbeck does in The Grapes of Wrath is establish the status quo. He sets up the farmers and the banks as the two main opposing forcesRead MoreBiblical Allusions to The Grapes of Wrath Essay example1457 Words   |  6 PagesBiblical Allusions to The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. He studied marine biology at Stanford University and then traveled east on a freighter through the Panama Canal. Steinbeck went to New York to work as a newspaper reporter but soon returned to California and held a variety of jobs while he wrote. Steinbeck published Tortilla Flat in 1935, Of Mice and Men in 1937, and The Red Pony in 1937, which established his reputation as a forcefulRead MoreRole Of Robert Steinbeck s The Grapes Of Wrath 1286 Words   |  6 PagesRobby LaRoy APLang 2 º Ms. Lehman 9/13/14 The Role of Unity in Survival During the great depression in the plains of Oklahoma, workers were forced out of their homes as their crops withered away to nothing and dust took over. The general feeling of these migrant workers during the late 20’s and early 30’s can be summarized by the struggle for survival showcased in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. In the novel, a family called the Joads makes their way westward in hopes of a better life forRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1967 Words   |  8 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is the story which takes place in a time where opportunity is nil and desperation has overtaken American en masse. The story is told several viewpoints with majority of them being witnessed from Tom Joad and his family while others are from minor characters who share a similar circumstance or actively benefiting from the misfortunes of others. Larger businesses are overtaking others and placing profits above people. The care and welfare for other human becomesRead MoreSymbolism Of The Steinbeck s The Grapes Of Wrath 2259 Words   |  10 Pages Symbols In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family experiences many hardships on the journey to and in California, ranging from dying family members to a lack of sufficient food. In the third chapter of the novel, author John Steinbeck introduces a determined turtle who attempts to make its journey across a highway. The turtle is apparently nearly run over multiple times, and is actually hit by a car. This causes the turtle to be flipped on its shell, until it catches its footing and â€Å"littleRead More The Grapes of Wrath as Communist Propaganda Essay example1199 Words   |  5 Pages The Grapes of Wrath as Communist Propaganda nbsp; The Grapes of Wrath may be read as a direct indictment of the U.S. capitalist system of the early and mid twentieth century. Although the book on the surface level can fairly easily be read as anti-capitalist book, it goes further than that. The book both implicitly and explicitly advocates structural changes in the economic institutions of our country. Thus, it may be argued that the Grapes of Wrath is communist propaganda. Propaganda, according