Conflict and Generosity Within the Grapes of Wrath
Aaron Perez
Mrs. Hofeditz
AP English IV
February 14, 2013
Conflict and Generosity within The Grapes of Wrath When a family becomes a victim to severe debt, attitudes change, the family tends to grow apart, and the members must cope. This was common during the Great Depression in the 1930’s after the collapse of the stock market, and a plethora of families flooded to California in search of a promising future. Home to Tom Joad and his family, the deteriorating economy of the Great Depression depicts the changing attitudes of many families and how they adapted to this difficult time period. The work captures how many families like the Joads have to change to accommodate the financial shortage of the 1930s, and how they grow with this struggle. With that, John Steinbeck constructs The Grapes of Wrath to include a family that is still generous in the midst of many trials and tribulations. The Grapes of Wrath depicts how great struggle is juxtaposed with an immense appetite for wealth, and how this conflict elicits generosity.
John Steinbeck grew up around Salinas, California. Even though he was not raised by parents who were poor, he witnessed discrimination upon the many dust bowl migrant workers who came from states that were “less fortunate” like Oklahoma and Texas. Steinbeck channeled his anger and frustration from observing the heartbreak and struggle during the Great Depression into crafting The Grapes of Wrath. According to Carroll Britch and Cliff Lewis in their article “Growth of the Family in The Grapes of Wrath,” “Although it addresses issues of great sociological change, The Grapes of Wrath is at its core about the family and struggle of its members to assert their separate identities without breaking up the family. (1)” He utilized his aggravation for the people to illustrate the drastic changes that occur in the characters over a period of time, such as the way in which the community is altered when financial hardship is imminent. But for Tom Joad
Mrs. Hofeditz
AP English IV
February 14, 2013
Conflict and Generosity within The Grapes of Wrath When a family becomes a victim to severe debt, attitudes change, the family tends to grow apart, and the members must cope. This was common during the Great Depression in the 1930’s after the collapse of the stock market, and a plethora of families flooded to California in search of a promising future. Home to Tom Joad and his family, the deteriorating economy of the Great Depression depicts the changing attitudes of many families and how they adapted to this difficult time period. The work captures how many families like the Joads have to change to accommodate the financial shortage of the 1930s, and how they grow with this struggle. With that, John Steinbeck constructs The Grapes of Wrath to include a family that is still generous in the midst of many trials and tribulations. The Grapes of Wrath depicts how great struggle is juxtaposed with an immense appetite for wealth, and how this conflict elicits generosity.
John Steinbeck grew up around Salinas, California. Even though he was not raised by parents who were poor, he witnessed discrimination upon the many dust bowl migrant workers who came from states that were “less fortunate” like Oklahoma and Texas. Steinbeck channeled his anger and frustration from observing the heartbreak and struggle during the Great Depression into crafting The Grapes of Wrath. According to Carroll Britch and Cliff Lewis in their article “Growth of the Family in The Grapes of Wrath,” “Although it addresses issues of great sociological change, The Grapes of Wrath is at its core about the family and struggle of its members to assert their separate identities without breaking up the family. (1)” He utilized his aggravation for the people to illustrate the drastic changes that occur in the characters over a period of time, such as the way in which the community is altered when financial hardship is imminent. But for Tom Joad