Grapes of Wrath
In The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the presence of "big business" ruling the working farmers is emphasized throughout the novel. Steinbeck makes numerous references to the conditions the workers are faced with, and the simplicity of their lifestyle. The inter-chapters of The Grapes of Wrath illustrate both the beauty of the human spirit and the ugliness of human greed. This is illustrated in the greed of the banks, family ties to the land and belongings, ability for the individuals to "have fun" and the desperation of mankind.The ugliness of human greed in chapter five is emphasized in the inhumanity of the banks. The banks in the novel were not human, rather a monster that destroys all. "The bank-the monster has to have profits all the time. It can't wait. It'll die. No, taxes go on." (Steinbeck, 42) The idea that banks are not human, merely buildings and dollar signs, gives the banks and "big business" an impersonal feel. "The bank is something else than man"(Steinbeck, 43) The tractors are described as indiscriminate and hostile. The tractors move on the land, slicing and tearing at the roots and soil that were tended to so gently by the farmers. The concept of greed, which is the need for more, is emphasized in this
The Americans had taken the land from the Mexicans, put Asian worker into virtual slavery and finally condemned the Okies who were forced to build shantytowns. The rain, one could say represents the banks, penetrates the tents and cars and destroys whatever the families have left. " (Steinbeck, 556) Through the selfish acts of the farm owners, who neglect the farm animals when they are not being used, and not assisting those who work on their lands, the concept of greed, once again, is prevalent. In chapter nineteen of the novel, Steinbeck describes the history of California. They knew that everything was going to be all right. Human spirit is emphasized in the novel, in that the ownership of the land creates the beauty and simplicity of the tenants. One of the last hardship experiences by the migrants, and potentially the worst of all, states the inability to find work and starvation. The whole concept that the American's stole the land from someone else and then put others to works, creates Steinbeck's idea of an "American". The unification of the family through the horrible events that occur creates a sense of love and unity in the family. " (Steinbeck, 43) A man who does not reside on his land and walk upon it cannot own it; rather, the property controls the man and he becomes the servant of the land. The inter-chapters of The Grapes of Wrath illustrate both the beauty of the human spirit and the ugliness of human greed. The human spirit in this chapter is shown by the ability for the women and men, who have lost everything for the second time, to pause and start all over again. Pray to God some day kind people won't all be poor. " (Steinbeck, 299) Steinbeck illustrates the idea that capital and monetary gain is what was pushing the owners, not the love of the land.
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