To human beings, control is the one thing they will never have, but will always desire. Control plays a prominent theme in Chapter Five of “The Grapes of Wrath”, written by John Steinbeck. This novel paints a picture of life during the time of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, illuminating on the struggles and perseverance of the migrants families in the Southwest. In Chapter Five, the readers learn about how the families were told they were being forced to leave by “the monster” and how they were helpless to its every whim. The main theme of the chapter is control; the ones in control, the lack of control, and the need for control.
Firstly, in this chapter it becomes aware that the one in control of this whole ordeal is the bank. “...the banks were machines and masters all at the same time,” (Steinbeck 32). This machine is what’s responsible for keeping these men employed and keeping the economy alive. The monster is the one who holds all the money, these lower-class workers depend on it in order to prosper. This idea is reinforced by the statement, “They breathe profits; they eat the interest on money,” (Steinbeck 32). Readers further see that the bank is a glutton, and money is what feeds it. If this is so, then these farmers are doomed to serve this man-made machine, and if it dies they will die with it. The monster …show more content…
It is those in control that must be fought, the bank and its need for profit. The lack of control is why they can’t fight the bank, because they serve the bank and they are caught in something too big to fix. The need for control is what drives them and ruins them, it is the true monster and it is the reason why everything is happening as it is. But why is it, that if control will never be had, why do they keep trying to have it? Because: the monster can’t die, or else we’ll die with
Firstly, in this chapter it becomes aware that the one in control of this whole ordeal is the bank. “...the banks were machines and masters all at the same time,” (Steinbeck 32). This machine is what’s responsible for keeping these men employed and keeping the economy alive. The monster is the one who holds all the money, these lower-class workers depend on it in order to prosper. This idea is reinforced by the statement, “They breathe profits; they eat the interest on money,” (Steinbeck 32). Readers further see that the bank is a glutton, and money is what feeds it. If this is so, then these farmers are doomed to serve this man-made machine, and if it dies they will die with it. The monster …show more content…
It is those in control that must be fought, the bank and its need for profit. The lack of control is why they can’t fight the bank, because they serve the bank and they are caught in something too big to fix. The need for control is what drives them and ruins them, it is the true monster and it is the reason why everything is happening as it is. But why is it, that if control will never be had, why do they keep trying to have it? Because: the monster can’t die, or else we’ll die with