How Does Steinbeck Present Social Inequity During The Grapes Of Wrath

Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, many concepts appear that were noted in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. However, the three chapters of Foster’s how-to guide that most apply to Steinbeck’s novel were “It’s All About Sex…,” “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),” and “It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow.” On more than one occasion these concepts are hidden within the book, and two of them actually seem somewhat linked together. After reading between the lines, The Grapes of Wrath has an extremely intricate plot and many ulterior meanings. Foster’s book helps to solve these meanings and make it so that the novel can be completely understood.

The Great Depression marked one of the most economic and social downfalls in the history of the modern world. During this time, a handful of American writers chose to reflect how their lives were affected during this time period through literature. Because of the divide in social class during this time, various standards of personal position were demonstrated through the published opinions of literary activists. John Steinbeck, known as one of the most popular American modern authors to ever put pen to paper, illustrated how the Great Depression and movement into the modern world left its noticeable footprint on him and the world around him. With that, Steinbeck’s “writing in the 1930’s protested against tendencies in the American way of life...” (Gray). Steinbeck undoubtedly had his mind set on prevailing the new American lifestyle to the world. In his novel The Grapes of Wrath, indicates

"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.

Throughout the book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the physical transition of the Joad family from a small close-knit group of people living a quiet life on a farm in Oklahoma, corresponds with the internal transition of the concept of family. As the Joads leave their farm and journey westward, they no longer live just within their own isolated unit. Becoming involved with other families as they migrate, changes their focus and by the end of the book, the family members each reach out in their own way to embrace all of mankind as a family.

April 14th, 1939, John Steinbeck published the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel became an immediate best seller, with selling over 428,900 copies. Steinbeck, who lived through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, sought to bring attention to how families of Oklahoma outdid these disasters. Steinbeck focuses on families of Oklahoma, including the Joads family, who reside on a farm. The Joad family is tested with hardship when life for them on their farm takes a corrupt turn. Steinbeck symbolizes the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, as the monster, by focusing on bringing attention to how the families in Oklahoma bypass the disastorous weather, greedy bankers, and also the unreceptive greeting by the

Throughout Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck raises the issue of how the wealthy do not properly help the poor, and often treat them as invaders who should be left out on their own. He uses Grapes of Wrath to show how human nature causes people to ignore the plight of the poor when it is convenient for them. Throughout the novel, the “Okies” are often abused, and the wealthy commonly took advantage of their desperation to earn money to gain cheap labor. They were often paid unlivable wages, and forced away from any hospitable places solely because they were thought of as poor immigrants. This type of exploitation is a common occurrence throughout the novel. One example of this was when an employer set the wages for 20 cents an hour, which was far

In the American epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, there are pivotal and dynamic changes that occur in the various significant characters of Jim Casy, Ma Joad, and Tom Joad. Steinbeck specifically uses these characters to show their common realizations about all of humanity, in order to demonstrate his underlying meaning about the importance of people coming together, helping each other out, and surviving. Ma Joad illustrates this idea clearly when she speaks to Tom mid-way through the novel: “Why, Tom, we’re the people that live. They ain’t gonna wipe us out. Why we’re the people--we go on.” (350)

That novel was followed by what most people believe is Steinbeck’s best book, “Grapes Of Wrath”, which was based on articles he had written in San Francisco, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. His talks of the poor conditions eventually caught the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, who raised the standards, telling Congress to fix the bad parts of the labor laws and camp conditions. In all 17 of his works became movies or screenplays.

    Steinbeck's 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. Steinbeck's views as expressed through the novel tie directly into the Marxist ideals on communism.

According to ALA.org, The Grapes of Wrath was banned and challenged from libraries around the country for its over exaggerated political views of the historical Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The most significant ban on this book happened in Kern County, California which is where in the book marked the ending of the Joad family’s journey. The county banned the book because they felt that Steinbeck was depicting the area unfairly by not giving any credit “for the effort they were making to help the migrants”(Neary "'Grapes Of Wrath' And The Politics of Book Burning"). Despite this the book shouldn’t be banned because all of Steinbeck’s writing was inspired from a trip he took during the Great Depression through Oklahoma on the same road the Joad family in the book took to California. Based off of this he wrote The Grapes of Wrath. And this trip was fool-proofed when “Last fall, the California-based National Steinbeck

"The Grapes of Wrath" was significantly impacted by the foundation and partners of its author, John Steinbeck. At the point when Steinbeck left Stanford College in 1925 to wind up an author, he came into relationship with Leftist and Socialistic supporters. For instance, one of his companions amid the procedure of delivering "The Grapes of Wrath" was Francis Whitaker, an individual from the Communist Party's John Reed club for scholars. He likewise invested energy with the radical author Lincoln Steffens and his wife Ella Winter. It was through Steffens that Steinbeck was acquainted with George West, a San Francisco News editorial manager who dispatched Steinbeck to compose a progression of daily paper articles about the living states of California vagrant specialists.

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 “little by little the shell [pulls] over and [is] flopped upright”(16). The turtle then continues its journey and successfully crosses the highway. Although this chapter may have seemed out of place, as the turtle seems to have nothing to do with the novel, Steinbeck’s use of symbolism is apparent. The turtle itself is supposed to symbolize the Joad family and the struggles they face trying to find a better life. Like the turtle, the family is knocked down many times, and like the turtle the family is still able to find its footing and stay determined. The Joad family’s goal is to make a living in California, and although they will face many challenges, they still have their eyes set on crossing their own personal and hazardous turtle highway.

In the 20th century, the average home life in rural Oklahoma was full of hard workers in the pursuit of the picture-perfect home surrounded by plentiful land. The sun rose over the land, signaling the commencement of the day ahead. The farmer had already been awake since before the sun broke the horizon, preparing his little equipment and his animals for his land’s work. The farmer’s wife was in the kitchen, cooking her husband a warm breakfast as a sign of her gratitude. Their children woke and soon were running into the kitchen, bellies growling. After gobbling up the breakfast, they ran outside to play and do chores of their own. The rest of the farmer’s wife’s day was spent cleaning, cooking, and looking after the kids until the sun went down and it was time for bed. Set in this time, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, holds contrasting female characters. Some characters show the defiance of the gender roles at the time, while others adhere to them. In some instances, a female character can surpass the expectations set upon her by the patriarchal society in which they live she lives, setting her free to use a voice she never was allowed.

John Steinbeck wrote the The Grapes of Wrath in 1939 to rouse its readers against those who were responsible for keeping the American people in poverty. The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joad family, migrant farmers from Oklahoma traveling to California in search of an illusion of prosperity. The novel's strong stance stirred up much controversy, as it was often called Communist propaganda, and banned from schools due to its vulgar language. However, Steinbeck's novel is considered to be his greatest work. It won the Pulitzer Prize, and later became an Academy Award winning movie in 1940. The novel and the movie are both considered to be wonderful

“Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other.” Susan Shillinglaw wrote that men will always treat someone the same way they are being treated. She said that “knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.” Shillinglaw’s writing is very thorough and in-depth she uses many descriptive words but also gets straight to the point, similar to John Steinbeck’s writing. Both authors write about social injustice which is the unfair situations carried out in our society. The TED talk about injustice explains that people are quick to judge others by their identity. It is unfair that people have to shape their identity so others will accept them. Curley’s and Lennie’s relationship is an example