Homelessness and helplessness were frequent day to day trials of American farmers during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. In desperation, approximately 2.5 million people left their homes and traveled along route 66 to California in hopes of a second chance at the American Dream (History.com). In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck reveals the plight of one of those migrant families, the Joads, whose journey is marred by the dehumanization of migrant families. Similarly, modern day migrants face the same dehumanizing prejudices, such as stereotyping, which only serve to worsen their desperate situations. In both the novel and in the modern era, migrants are forced from their homes due to a lack of access to fundamental human needs. Yet, paralleling
…show more content…
This distaste and fear then inevitably results in the dehumanization of migrants. In the Joad’s experience moving to California, the Californians “hate” the Joads because “they’re scairt” (Steinbeck 264). This fear is bred from many different sources, however an extremely prevalent reason why people fear migrants is because they are concerned that migrants will take their jobs. Oftening stemming from how migrants are willing to work for less than native born Americans. In the novel, many Okies are willing to work for as little as “a little piece of meat” leaving the Californians wondering how they can “compete” (Steinbeck 364, 363). This fear is still relevant today with a study showing that “51% of likely U.S. Voters believe that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from U.S. citizens” (Rasmussen). The fear and hatred of migrants also stems from the stereotyping of migrants. The Okies are labeled as “dirty... ignorant... degenerate, sexual maniacs” and “thieves” (Steinbeck 363). This is problematic as stereotyping a group robs the individual of their freedom and restricts them to becoming no more than what others believe them to be. Negatively stereotyping migrant groups feeds into the people’s fear, thus creating a cycle of …show more content…
For the Okie’s this is seen in the burning of Hooverville and the killing of Casey unprovocted later in the novel. In both cases, violence is brought upon the Okies not because of something they did, but out of fear of them unionizing with Tom even saying how what the police are doing “ain’t the law” (Steinbeck 358). This shows a dehumanization of the Okies because the police choose to harm them only because they are migrants, revealed by how the officer George says “serve[s] that son-of-a-bitch right” after brutally killing Casey (Steinbeck 495). Similarly, brutality and dehumanization being justified because the migrants are “others” is shown by border guards who have been known to “punish migrants by driving ‘dog wagons’ loaded with migrants rapidly over badly rutted dirt roads or holding them in crowded transfer pens sometimes without adequate food, water, or bathroom facilities” (Michalowski). Thus, the uneducated fear of migrants prevalent in anti-immigrant American groups, leads to the dehumiation of migrants which allows horrible acts against migrants to be justified as they no longer have claim to basic human
This distaste and fear then inevitably results in the dehumanization of migrants. In the Joad’s experience moving to California, the Californians “hate” the Joads because “they’re scairt” (Steinbeck 264). This fear is bred from many different sources, however an extremely prevalent reason why people fear migrants is because they are concerned that migrants will take their jobs. Oftening stemming from how migrants are willing to work for less than native born Americans. In the novel, many Okies are willing to work for as little as “a little piece of meat” leaving the Californians wondering how they can “compete” (Steinbeck 364, 363). This fear is still relevant today with a study showing that “51% of likely U.S. Voters believe that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from U.S. citizens” (Rasmussen). The fear and hatred of migrants also stems from the stereotyping of migrants. The Okies are labeled as “dirty... ignorant... degenerate, sexual maniacs” and “thieves” (Steinbeck 363). This is problematic as stereotyping a group robs the individual of their freedom and restricts them to becoming no more than what others believe them to be. Negatively stereotyping migrant groups feeds into the people’s fear, thus creating a cycle of …show more content…
For the Okie’s this is seen in the burning of Hooverville and the killing of Casey unprovocted later in the novel. In both cases, violence is brought upon the Okies not because of something they did, but out of fear of them unionizing with Tom even saying how what the police are doing “ain’t the law” (Steinbeck 358). This shows a dehumanization of the Okies because the police choose to harm them only because they are migrants, revealed by how the officer George says “serve[s] that son-of-a-bitch right” after brutally killing Casey (Steinbeck 495). Similarly, brutality and dehumanization being justified because the migrants are “others” is shown by border guards who have been known to “punish migrants by driving ‘dog wagons’ loaded with migrants rapidly over badly rutted dirt roads or holding them in crowded transfer pens sometimes without adequate food, water, or bathroom facilities” (Michalowski). Thus, the uneducated fear of migrants prevalent in anti-immigrant American groups, leads to the dehumiation of migrants which allows horrible acts against migrants to be justified as they no longer have claim to basic human