Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The theme of the grapes of wrath
Grapes of wrath social issues essay
The grapes of wrath themes
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The theme of the grapes of wrath
Would you ever do anything honorably to protect those you love? Well, a man in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath did just that. The book is about a man and his two kids decide to go to California during the Dust Bowl. The man tries to buy 10 cents worth of bread though Mae, the waitress refuses to sell him the bread due to it costing 15 cents instead of 10. Since he is on a tight budget, he uses his insistent and inflexible humility to change her behavior towards him.
One of the phrases that shows the mans humility is, "The man took off his dark,stained hat and stood with a curious humility in front of the screen." This shows that the man walks into the diner feeling embarrassed due to him and his family being poor. At the beginning of the excerpt the man approaches the waitress and politely asks her, "Could you see your way to sell us a loaf of bead, ma'am?" What the man is trying to do here is to buy a load of bread to which the waitress rudely and sarcastically replies with, "This ain't a grocery store. We got bread to make san'widges." The man, feeling embarrassed, tries...
One of the ironies of Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath was that, as Ma Joad said, "If your in trouble or hurt or need -- go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help -- the only ones."(pg 335) The irony is that if you need something you have to go to the people who have nothing.
In the beginning of the excerpt, the man, with curious humility, approaches the diner. This tells us that the man approached the diner with a peculiar humility. The man takes off his dark, stained hat and stands in front of the screen. He then says, “Could you see your way to sell us a loaf of bread, ma’am?...
In conclusion the Grapes of Wrath is a literary masterpiece that portrays the struggles of man as he overcomes the adversity of homelessness, death, and the wrath of prejudice. Steinbeck fully explores each faucet coherently within the boundaries of the Joad family’s trials and
California in search for a brighter, economic future. The name Joad and the exodus to
Grapes of Wrath. In the beginning of the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joads are faced with the challenge of traveling Route 66 all the way to California. This is their solution to being tractored off their land and having no way to support the large family. This challenge is similar to the depression of 1929, when many people lost their jobs, homes, and their whole lives.
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck, which focuses on an Oklahoman family that is evicted from their farm during an era of depression caused by the Dust Bowl. The Joad family alongside thousands of other refugees (also affected by the dirty thirties) migrates west towards California seeking employment and a new home. John Steinbeck’s purpose for writing this novel was to inform his audience of how many of their fellow Americans were being mistreated and of the tribulations they faced in order to attain regain what they once had. As a result, The Grapes of Wrath triggered its audience’s sympathy for the plight of the Dust Bowl farmers and their families.
Often in Grapes of Wrath, the affluent people stereotype the migrants as poor and penniless. As the Joads pull into the gas station, the attendant immediately asks, “Got any money?” He views the Joads as one of many poor, migrant families arriving to beg for some gas. But not all people who view migrants as poverty-stricken, hungry people see them in such a way. Mae, a waitress at one of the restaurants pities a family asking for bread and shows her compassion by letting the children have candy for much less than its worth. Instead of the anticipated let-down, the migrants receive pity from those with compassion and sympathy.
Because of the devastating disaster of the dust bowl, the Joad family was forced to leave their long-time home and find work and a new life elsewhere. They, like many other families, moved to California. "The land of milk and honey". The people in the dust bowl imagined California as a haven of jobs where they would have a nice little white house and as much fruit as they could eat. This dream was far from the reality the migrant farmers faced once in California. The dreams, hopes, and expectations the Joads had of California were crushed by the reality of the actual situation in this land of hate and prejudice.
Controversial responses about the appropriateness of adolescent novels had been defied since the early 1800-1900 in America. Published adolescent books are continuously being challenged by parents, students, and even teachers in concern to the immoral values taught in the academic environment. The early exposure to the nature of sex, racism, death, and poverty marks the concern to many of these prosecutors. However, ironically these concerns fulfill the degree of adolescent maturity. Since young adults are encouraged to reach adulthood, it only makes sense to include these immoral values part as the young adult’s educational aim. Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck in 1937 is a novel that has the ability to cover the immoral values of reality, in which is depicted in each of Steinbeck’s characters in his novel. Given the opportunity for young adult’s to experience these immoral objectives may increase their discernment to life and prepare them for the world that is ahead of them; this is the universal dream of every parent.
The Strength of Unity A sense of community was a necessity for many Americans during the era of the Great Depression. With the drought in the Dust Bowl and other catastrophes, many were forced to relocate elsewhere in attempt to survive. The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, illustrates the importance of unity during privation through the idea that members of society must work in unison to achieve a common goal. Steinbeck demonstrates this theme through multiple aspects in the book.
In The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck analyzes characters deeply in his novel. These characters, throughout the book, develop different qualities and personalities. One of the characters that show this development is Tom Joad. Tom Joad, in the beginning of the novel, is shown to be selfish and self- centered, but as the story progresses, and the teachings and experiences gained from Jim Casy, he changes to a leader and a helper of the community.
John Ernest Steinbeck Jr. was born February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. (The Biography Channel) His family was never wealthy, but they were middle-class, and his father John Ernest Steinbeck had several jobs to keep food on the table, and his mother Olive Hamilton was a school teacher. He was the third child of four children, and all of his siblings were girls. His father owned a feed-and-grain store, managed a flour shop, and was Monterrey County treasurer. (The Biography Channel) His father was a mason and his mother was a member of Eastern Star. (ANB) John Steinbeck sr. and Olive Hamilton were immigrants and were very rooted into the community; they established their identities this way. His parents believed it was good to expose their children to culture when they were little. They went to the theater often in San Francisco. His parents also had a variety of literature in the house for the children to read. Steinbeck’s biggest influence in his career was when he had been given a copy of Malory’s Morte d’Arthur at the age of nine. (Stephan) His mother and John Steinbeck's family lived in the "fertile agricultural valley,” and with that he formed an appreciation early for the Salinas Valley land, which he used in most of his later novels. (Wyatt) As a kid Steinbeck was shy and quite, but very smart. At the age of fifteen Steinbeck was "encouraged by his freshman English teacher to write," (ANB) and from then he knew he wanted to become a writer. He would often lock himself away in his bedroom and write. After high school he worked as a laborer in a sugar factory in Salinas, California, a laborer in mills, and a ranch hand. (Stephan)
In the Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters to provide background for the various themes of the novel, as well to set the tone of the novel".
A major drought, over-cultivation, and a country suffering from one of the greatest depressions in history are all it took to displace hundreds of thousands of Midwesterners and send them, and everything they had, out west. The Dust Bowl ruined crops all across the Great Plains region, crops that people depended on for survival. When no food could be grown and no money could be made, entire families, sometimes up to 8 people or more, packed up everything they had and began the journey to California, where it was rumored that jobs were in full supply. Without even closing the door behind them in some cases, these families left farms that had been with them for generations, only to end up in a foreign place where they were neither welcomed nor needed in great quantity. This would cause immense problems for their futures. It is these problems that author John Steinbeck spent a great deal of his time studying and documenting so that Americans could better understand the plight of these migrant farmers, otherwise known as "Okies." From touring many of these "Hoovervilles" and "Little Oklahomas" (pg. v) Steinbeck was given a firsthand look at the issues and hardships these migrant workers faced on a daily basis. With the help of Tom Collins, manager of a federal migrant labor camp, Steinbeck began a "personal and literary journey" (pg. v), revealing to the world the painful truth of these "Okies" in his book Harvest Gypsies.
John Steinbeck's The Pearl tells the story of a pearl diver named Kino. Kino lives a simple life, and adores his family. At the beginning of the story Steinbeck shows how content Kino’s family is. Everything seems to be going perfect for Kino and his family that is until the discovery of the most wonderful pearl in the world changes his life forever. As the story advances Kino’s newborn, Coyotito gets bitten by a scorpion. Kino’s wife, Juana insists that they take Coyotito to the town’s doctor. Inevitably the doctor refuses to help Coyotito because Kino is unable to make a payment.