The Grapes of Wrath

Character Transformation Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses the transformation of characters to further an important theme of the novel. One theme that ran through the novel was unity. In the course of the story, “I” turns into “we.” This theme was brought out by many characters, including Tom Joad. Steinbeck uses Tom’s growth to bring out the important theme of unity. Tom Joad was one of the many characters that changed in the novel. In the beginning, Tom was traveling back home…

Could the problems in a capitalist society be resolved through socialism? The socialist worldview believes in the distribution of wealth, property, and resources according to the desires of the people as a whole. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the author John Steinbeck delves into what he believes are the advantages of a socialist society and writes his own thoughts about the problems with capitalism. Steinbeck builds his case for socialism and attacks capitalism through portraying the…

“Grapes of Wrath” vs “Civil Disobedience” Opinions about government and the role government has in the lives of the country's citizens has always differed in the eyes of the public. Many of these opinion holders have expressed their thoughts and ideas in novels and articles such as “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck and “On The Duty of Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau. Steinbeck and Thoreau have some similar beliefs about the government when it comes to following laws, however…

Composition Mrs. Smith August 18, 2016 The Grapes of Wrath Comparison Ethics vs Laws "I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other"(Harriet Tubman). Harriet Tubman was known for breaking the law for all the right reasons, simply to save the lives of the innocent. In the novels The Adventures of Huck Finn written by Mark Twain, and The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck, the main…

different people have different viewpoints on their government. An excerpt of “Civil Disobedience” shows Henry David Thoreau’s ideal government, and how his current government went against the ideals he believed in. In Chapter Seventeen of “The Grapes of Wrath”, John Steinbeck explains how the camps of the migrant families create a union and a government, even for one night. The two governments illustrated in these works have some of the same fundamentals, but differ in how they operate and…

are expected to obediently listen to their husbands and nurture children and cook for the family. These roles, however definite in the 1900s, shift between genders as circumstances grow demanding and difficult in John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, following the Joad family’s arduous journey to California during the Great Depression. As the Joads elude the dry devastation in Oklahoma, an apparent displacement of authority in the family arises, revealing the ideal adaptive and…

In the mid 1930’s a huge event occurred in our world which left a significant amount of damage and pain to many. World War 2 was the war of hatred and discrimination. After the First World War, the treaty of Versailles (France, Germany, Britain, Austria-Hungary and the United States) came to an agreement that Germany would be held responsible for causing the war. Germany now had to pay back France every single penny they owed. Germany was also no longer allowed to produce weapons, have an air…

Chapter 20 (pgs 327-384) This chapter focuses back on the Joads and their first few days in California. Their extremely limited funds don’t allow a proper ceremony and burial, the family leave Grandma's body at the door of the coroner’s office. The family makes their way to Hooverville, a large camp full of gaunt eyes and hollow stomachs. Along the way they meet Floyd Knowles, he explained the rough life here and if you were thinking about just walking on in a getting work then you're…

Johnny has changed from the beginning of the book to the end, with him being stubborn and offensive in the start, to being prideful and compassionate in the end. When he was introduced as the Laphams’ apprentice, he was stubborn and rude to others that acted as different as him. He acted only a little softer when talking with Cilla and Isannah, but he still acted tough. The moment he was kicked out the Lapham’s home by Mrs. Lapham for disrespecting Mr. Tweedie, Johnny felt anything but…

Baldwin focuses on many recurring themes to create a certain culture and viewpoints towards some of the main characters and towards Christianity itself. For example, Baldwin keeps focusing on the theme of pride and its importance to the overall plot line of the novel. Pride can be seen very easily in the characters, but can be seen very subtle when it comes to focusing on Christianity. For example, I believe that out of all the characters found in the novel, pride most effects Gabriel and his…