The theme is indubitably one of the most important parts of literature. It not only sets a mood for the story, but also states a point. In many works of literature, one can find identical themes. Though the theme may be the same for both works, they are often represented in different ways. In The Grapes of Wrath, By John Steinbeck, and The Catcher in the Rye, By J.D. Salinger, the theme of the individual and society are evident. Steinbeck chooses to represent society as a necessity to make things work. Throughout The Grapes of Wrath, Ma Joad keeps enforcing the idea of unity. In her mind, as long as the family sticks together as a whole, everything will be fine. Salinger on the other hand expresses individualism and society in different perspective. The main character of The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield, is the perfect representation of the individual. As he journeys on his own into New York City, he must endure life alone with few people to turn to. Salinger doesn't straight out state that conformity and society is the best way of life. He does however, through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old boy show that being rebellious and alone isn't always the better path to take.
             Steinbeck once said "I believe that man is a double thing – a group animal and at the same time an individual. And it occurs to me that he cannot successfully be the second until he has fulfilled the first" (Bloom 52). In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck shows us that in order for people to be happy on there own they must work together first. Throughout the work society was split in to two categories: the family and the migrants in the camp. In both representations of society, it is stressed that working together as one will accomplish more than simply working as an individual. Ma Joad emphasizes and represents the idea of family unity. Steinbeck reveals to us that Ma
             feels that in her situation, it is the only way to get passed ...