Unity: For Better or for Worse “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” (Rowling) The Grapes of Wrath is a 20th century novel that follows the migration of farmers from the midwest to California during the Great Depression, focusing primarily on a family by the name of “Joad”. The author, John Steinbeck, uses many historically accurate events and interactions in his novel to showcase the struggles that were constantly present to imagrating families during this time, and also the methods they employed to counter these difficulties. The most prominent such method was the idea of unity. Unity is a very powerful concept. Whenever a group of people bond together with a single purpose, they will greatly help one another
…show more content…
While the family was in a work camp, the son Tom snuck out and ended up striking a police officer. In the process, however, Tom was hit in the face and had noticeable damage. This presented a large problem because the markings on his face allowed for him to be discovered if seen. The Joads had to decide whether hiding Tom was worth the punishment they would receive if he was discovered. Ma eventually made the final decision, declaring, “An’ I ain’t gonna have Tom out alone”(534) This supports the idea of strength in unity, as Ma concluded the family needed to be together, even if it would bring potential issues. She knew that the family with Tom was in a much better position to survive than if he were …show more content…
One of the most extreme actions taken was to burn down the “hoovervilles”. The poor migrants bonded together in these “hoovervilles” because they have no other places to stay. They would find an area on the edge of a city and camp together, making shelter out of scraps and garbage. The Joads were in one of these at one point but left after hearing a rumor of a fire. They left very quickly and stopped to look back one last time. “In a few moments there came the sounds of shouts and screams, and then a flaring light arose from the direction of the Hooverville” (382) This was a common occurrence. The authorities would go into the encampments and set fire to them. This was a tactic to prevent those living there from getting too comfortable or creating an alliance. This was an extremely barbaric deed as they typically did not give warning beforehand. Some of the people found in these camps included children, sick, and the elderly. This meant that some of them could not escape when the camps went up in a blaze. This shows the extremes the police were willing to go through to keep the people from getting comfortable and uniting with one
While the family was in a work camp, the son Tom snuck out and ended up striking a police officer. In the process, however, Tom was hit in the face and had noticeable damage. This presented a large problem because the markings on his face allowed for him to be discovered if seen. The Joads had to decide whether hiding Tom was worth the punishment they would receive if he was discovered. Ma eventually made the final decision, declaring, “An’ I ain’t gonna have Tom out alone”(534) This supports the idea of strength in unity, as Ma concluded the family needed to be together, even if it would bring potential issues. She knew that the family with Tom was in a much better position to survive than if he were …show more content…
One of the most extreme actions taken was to burn down the “hoovervilles”. The poor migrants bonded together in these “hoovervilles” because they have no other places to stay. They would find an area on the edge of a city and camp together, making shelter out of scraps and garbage. The Joads were in one of these at one point but left after hearing a rumor of a fire. They left very quickly and stopped to look back one last time. “In a few moments there came the sounds of shouts and screams, and then a flaring light arose from the direction of the Hooverville” (382) This was a common occurrence. The authorities would go into the encampments and set fire to them. This was a tactic to prevent those living there from getting too comfortable or creating an alliance. This was an extremely barbaric deed as they typically did not give warning beforehand. Some of the people found in these camps included children, sick, and the elderly. This meant that some of them could not escape when the camps went up in a blaze. This shows the extremes the police were willing to go through to keep the people from getting comfortable and uniting with one