Flaws In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

"There is only one way in which one can endure man's inhumanity towards man and that is to try, in ones own life, to exemplify man's humanity to man." Alon Palon said this in regard to humanity, and characters such as Louis Zamperini, the Joad family, and many of those who lived through the dust bowl experienced antipathy from others, but also exemplified benevolence to those in need.

During the Great Depression, many citizens faced an arduous lifestyle of unemployment. However, many people managed to entertain themselves by reading literature such as The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck witnessed an injustice towards farmers during the Great Depression, and this inspired Steinbeck to present his perspective of the maltreatment to the open through The Grapes of Wrath. The fictional novel describes how unfortunate conditions, during the Great Depression, force an Oklahoma farmer family to travel to California in search for an easy life, job opportunities, and a bright future. John Steinbeck represented and connected his tones through his trope, making it an excellent read. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

The USDA claims that each year, 25.9 million tons of America’s food is thrown away, the equivalent to a quarter of the total amount produced. Nationally, the wasted food is a damaging financial setback, amounting to $1 billion just to get rid of during a time of ascending food prices, nonetheless (Oliver, 2007). Food waste has skyrocketed since 1970 at an astonishing 50% increase rate, yet according to the FAO, one-sixth of America doesn’t get enough to eat.

Do the needs of an individual family or group supersede the needs of the many? In The Grapes of Wrath written by the John Steinbeck, the readers see the strength that is needed to be a mother when outside forces rip a family apart. Ma Joad is the living representation of strength given her unique role in the family. Ma took an almost patriarchal role in the family and demonstrated that she was unique among other characters due to her strength, love, and family power.

Food waste is an environmental, economic, and ethical problem that can lead to less calorie intake and unnecessary damage of our assets. Individual behavior can redesign food waste at home and lead to bigger changes in the ecosystem. The problem is Americans throw out more food than glass, paper, and plastic. Also about 25% of food grown, processed, and transported in the US will never be consumed. When food is disposed in a landfill it rots and becomes a significant source of methane— a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

The 1930’s era was an incredibly tumultuous time for the United States. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Dust Bowl exacerbated the already high tensions between the rich and the poor. These tensions were also present and becoming a growing problem within the justice system of this era. As the country plunged into the depths of the Depression, the poor treatment of men and women imprisoned within the country’s jails deteriorated as well. The Dust Bowl along with the economic conditions the country, at the time led to the disparate treatment of prisoners at this time. Prejudices against certain groups of people during this time were very strong. This prejudice was demonstrated in John Steinbeck’s, The Grapes of Wrath, especially

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 for themselves and their future families. In order to understand the zeitgeist during the dust bowl and the experiences of migrant workers, one must first analyze the intercalary chapters and identify with the characters and their various struggles.

In the U.S., we are blessed with a sufficient amount of resources, especially food. Food is literally at everyone’s fingertips; people can order food efficiently off of their cellphones, and due to this abundance, it has caused many Americans to be very wasteful with their food. According to feedingamerica.org, “An estimated 25 – 40% of food grown, processed and transported in the US will never be consumed.” Not only that, but rotting food causes more greenhouses gases to be released in the air

Sixteen of the thirty chapters in the book The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck are intercalary chapters, between the narrative chapters of the Joads family journey. The Intercalary chapters provide knowledge to magnify the thoughts portrayed in the narrative by the author. By using this writing technique, Steinbeck intends to capture the reader's attention and make it more comprehensible. While reading the Grapes of Wrath, i found myself more engaged due to the intercalary chapters. This unique, structural choice provided background information and enhanced the story of the Joad’s family journey.

The message in the article above explains the importance of "The Grapes Of Wrath" to modern society, and how it still applies to this day. The author goes on to state that immigrants, and farmers are still treated as badly as they were when the book was made. The article shows the problems of today in relation to the novel, and show the similarities of the past and the present through Steinbeck's novel. One problem the article points out is the treatment of farmers. The article shows how Steinbeck's novel is relative to present times.

The idea that when people join together against discrimination or an injustice is prevalent in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. The novel highlights the mistreatment and injustice committed against the migrant people. The theme of unity is not only available in literature it is also something that can, and has been applied to real world problems.

In the beginning man was created by God. Man was to remain equal and to love each other. As many centuries passed everything changed, equality was no longer the plan, but it was now a hope that one day it would come for all mankind. By the early 1900’s America was a striving country, where dreams were made and goals were reached. Soon basic necessities turned into greed and greed turned into destruction. By the 1930’s the dust bowl hit, and with it the Great Depression. Families lost homes, food, and money, but most importantly their jobs. What has this country come to?

The Grapes of Wrath is a story about a family who live during the time of the dust bowl. They have a son named Tom who just got paroled, and is not allowed to leave state lines, but when the family gets a flyer for work they decide to leave their home and move to California. The family faces many hardships along the way such as losing family members and also having two die, but they also meet many new people. Not everyone they meet are kind or helpful, but they do become friends with many people. When they settle down for a little while they are told that they have to leave, so they do, and they settle down in a different area, but are told to leave again. Finally they find a place to settle down and at that camp they are told of work picking

Wasting food is a bad habit that affects all of society and we continue to implicate ourselves in the problem. Of the total of food loss that is going on about 40 percent is in the household. Overall a typical household of four loses about 600 dollars in food a year. (Jones 11)

In America, we are constantly surrounded by abundance. Food is a prevalent waste item in the United States. Most people do not think about the resources it took to produce, transport, and prepare the food they throw away. Our food waste is not actually just trash; it is the key to human survival. Ordinary consumers can change the future with one small action: to stop wasting food. Actions at the individual level can decrease food waste and feed those in need. Twenty five percent of purchased food is thrown away. (TED) Often this is because food has spoiled, but it can be for other reasons such as oversupply, misread labels, or individual consumer shopping and eating habits. http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3347e/i3347e.pdf