Imagine 150,00 square-miles devastated by drought. Little rain, light soil, and high winds made for a destructive combination. Imagine watching your husband fight with the bank’s hired thugs because you can’t pay the mortgage on your devastated farm. Imagine being m scared because your husband always knows what to do, and in this moment you can see uncertainty in his eyes. The Grapes of Wrath is a story the depicts the loss of humanity that comes when people are robbed of their power and ability to act independently in society. One of the most prominent themes in the Grapes of Wrath is the idea of powerlessness. The entire book is about families losing their homes, having to find another place to live, and feeling powerless with the situation
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The whole idea is that the bank system, referred to by the Oakies simply as “The Monster”, is taking away their land and leaving them with nothing. The banks took their humanity away by taking everything that had worked for. In chapter 2 Tom Joad states, “…sometimes a guy 'll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker.” This is a good example of a person being dehumanized and still being a good person. They didn’t let the rich people break them. In some cases, that was not true. In chapter 21 there was a line that stated “The great companies did not know that the line between hunger and anger is a thin line.” This is a crucial line in the book to me. These families have lost everything, and they were hunger. Once people start to get hungry, they get very angry. Angry people are no fun to deal with, and if you are hungry enough, will go to extreme measures to get food. People turn on other people they once loved, or knew. They start to steal and lie, and let the monster take over their life, take away their …show more content…
It may have taken sometime, or some may not have gotten it back, however once you do, you feel like a new man again. In the end of the book, where Rose of Sharon was pregnant with a baby it represented new life, to me. A new beginning that was needed. In chapter 9, people are having to sell their items for a ridiculously low price. If they do not get sold, the family would have to burn it because they need as much space on the journey as possible. It did not matter if the times had sentimental value, they would have to get rid of all of it. This is just the beginning of dehumanization. The Okies are starting a long, hard joinery that will test each one of them. This situation is hopeless, there is no possible way for the families to even remotely start a new life. They must give away items that have sentimental value, another example of the loss of human
The whole idea is that the bank system, referred to by the Oakies simply as “The Monster”, is taking away their land and leaving them with nothing. The banks took their humanity away by taking everything that had worked for. In chapter 2 Tom Joad states, “…sometimes a guy 'll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker.” This is a good example of a person being dehumanized and still being a good person. They didn’t let the rich people break them. In some cases, that was not true. In chapter 21 there was a line that stated “The great companies did not know that the line between hunger and anger is a thin line.” This is a crucial line in the book to me. These families have lost everything, and they were hunger. Once people start to get hungry, they get very angry. Angry people are no fun to deal with, and if you are hungry enough, will go to extreme measures to get food. People turn on other people they once loved, or knew. They start to steal and lie, and let the monster take over their life, take away their …show more content…
It may have taken sometime, or some may not have gotten it back, however once you do, you feel like a new man again. In the end of the book, where Rose of Sharon was pregnant with a baby it represented new life, to me. A new beginning that was needed. In chapter 9, people are having to sell their items for a ridiculously low price. If they do not get sold, the family would have to burn it because they need as much space on the journey as possible. It did not matter if the times had sentimental value, they would have to get rid of all of it. This is just the beginning of dehumanization. The Okies are starting a long, hard joinery that will test each one of them. This situation is hopeless, there is no possible way for the families to even remotely start a new life. They must give away items that have sentimental value, another example of the loss of human