Grapes Of Wrath Land Analysis

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In the beginning, Steinbeck portrays the land as something that had been drained, which is shown by how Steinbeck states, “The corn threshed the wind and made a dry, rushing sound. The finest dust did not settle back to earth now, but disappeared into the darkening sky.”(Steinbeck 1) This paints an image as to how the Dust Bowl has caused the land to become infertile and dry, making it unfit for any crops to grow in. Steinbeck uses this to show the farmers’ dependence on the land, as it illustrates how something that harms the land also harms the farmers. However, more importantly, Steinbeck also portrays the land as a major part of the farmers’ identities. This is seen by how a farmer states, “We measured it and broke it up. We were born on it, and we got killed on it, died on it. Even if it's no good, it's still ours. That's what makes it ours—being born on it, working it, dying on it. That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers on it.”(Steinbeck 21) Steinbeck uses this to illustrate how the land has become part of the farmers’ identity. …show more content…
The land had been passed down for many generations, and peoples’ livelihoods were attached to the land. It had been lovingly worked for many decades, and it has provided for the families which lived upon the land. It is a significant part of the people who work there, and they each depend on each other to thrive. However, despite the significance of the land to the farmers, it was taken away by huge banks, raising the main problem with which the people in Grapes of Wrath had to overcome. Because these banks ruthlessly took away and demolished all of the land and the crops which grew on it, which was their main source of income, people were forced to migrate across the United States. Steinbeck shows how these long and arduous migrations were caused by the banks, as the banks’ need for constant profit caused the suffering of thousands of families. Indirectly, Steinbeck uses this to show how capitalism as a system still has many flaws, which is illustrated by how the banks were able to take back land that was essential for the people who used to live on them. Interestingly, the bank that takes away all of the land is described as a “monster.”(Steinbeck 19) In fact, the people who come to repossess the land claim, “The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it.”(Steinbeck 21) Because of how the bank mercilessly took away people’s land, it is labeled as inhumane because it gave no thought as to how much the farmers’ and their families would suffer after their land, which was their most important possession, was taken away. It was also blamed for being the cause for the bulldozers which tore up the crops and homes that people painstakingly worked to create. The banks prioritized profit above all else, as shown by how the owners state “They [the banks] breathe profits; they eat the interest on money. If they don't get it, they die the way you die without air, without side-meat.”(Steinbeck 20) This shows how the bank’s need for profit has become a higher priority than even the lives of the thousands

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