THE EXTENDED FAMILY A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND HOPE
THE EXTENDED FAMILY: A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND HOPEIn his books Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck captured the reality of the struggles that struck mankind in different forms and in various levels as he had observed during his lifetime. Steinbeck observed mainly Californians and migrants who had suffered from poverty and distress brought to them by the Depression and the Dust Bowl, the dust storm that brought drought to the Great Plains during 1932 to 1939. He began to write books to sympathize with and encourage the many downtrodden people whom he had watched. Steinbeck suggested a method of comfort and relief to those who were alone and suffering; he discussed the significance that an extended family has in providing its constituents the strength to cope with their economic insecurities and social problems. Due to the Dust Bowl and the Depression that hit the United States in the thirties, many Oklahomans experienced a sudden abandonment from their landlords. Since most Oklahomans were farmers, many were left jobless once they were kicked off their land. For the sake of survival, this economic catastrophe resulted in two different cases of reactions: that of Muley Graves and that of the Joads.
George did not allow anybody on the farm to partake in the fraternity and the friendship that he and Lennie shared. The Dust Bowl had a great impact on the social and the psychological aspect of the farmers, because for a farmer to depart from their land was a death-like experience at the time. However, a different mentality of the farmers was shown through the Joads. The setting of Of Mice and Men was very similar to that of Grapes of Wrath, the depression during nineteen-thirties in California, a time when everyone suffered from economic and social predicaments. " Curley's wife, Candy, and Crook could have all overcome their loneliness and despondency if they belonged to a family or had a friend like Lennie had Geroge. Those, such as Candy, who provided a means of service or an aid, partook in the dream of owning a small farm. As the extended family continued growing, it was essential to be part of the extended family for people needed each other and needed to help one another in every step of the way. Steinbeck showed people's dependence on others' help in vast amount of examples: Mrs. " "What's it set you back?" George asked. As for the Sheriff's lying characters, such as attempting to arrest Floyd, an innocent worker, and arrest anybody in place of Tom, demonstrated how untrustworthy the county organizations were. Being constantly tossed from one ranch to another, they were not able to save up any money.
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