Comparing Huckleberry Finn And The Grapes Of Wrath

"They 's lots a things 'gainst the law that we can 't he 'p doin" (Steinbeck 571). In John Steinbeck 's The Grapes of Wrath, the hardships that migrant farmers faced during the Great Depression are portrayed by the fictional Joad family. While traveling with his relatives, Tom Joad tries to put his past crimes behind him but ends up getting into situations where the law comes into question. Similarly, Huck in Mark Twain 's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn breaks the law by helping a runaway slave escape prior to the Civil War. Both authors tangle with the subject of law versus morality and persuade the readers to side with the main protagonists despite their wrongdoing. This suggests that Steinbeck 's and Twain 's attitudes toward the issue …show more content…
In The Grapes of Wrath, Tom has the most issues with the law, considering he did jail time for murder. However, he actually acted in self-defense but was convicted since he killed his attacker. This could possibly mean that the laws at the time did not recognize this kind of situation and Tom was jailed unfairly. A very effective example of injustice that Steinbeck uses is when he mentions the bank as a "monster". The reason why the Joad family and many others had to leave their farms was because of the banks taking over agricultural operations. Farmers would be pushed off their homes with little notice and be forced to find work elsewhere, leaving the profits for special interest groups. "If a bank or finance company owned the land, the owner man said, the Bank-or the Company-needs-wants-insists-must have-as though the Bank or the Company were a monster, with thought and feeling, which had ensnared them" (Steinbeck 41). In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses the King and the Duke to show how some people will lie and steal in order to meet their personal goals without any regard for others. Also, the conmen would impersonate other people such as a family 's English relatives, indicating that they have no moral values …show more content…
The central characters of Tom Joad and Huck Finn have a history of crimes but the reader takes an interest in them despite their wrongdoings. This suggests that when it comes to the issue between laws and morals, the authors have sympathy for the ordinary person, disgust at injustice, and admiration for the bold. To effectively communicate their feelings, Steinbeck and Twain make the main protagonists relatable and have complex character arcs. Also, they incorporate supporting details that give their stories an impact on the minds of