The Grapes of Wrath is written by John Steinbeck as a political statement about the need to put the well being of society as a whole before the individual needs. He discusses this idea in the book through his three main central characters, Tom, Ma, Casy and through his intercalary chapters. Throughout the book they all come to realise this need and the events that lead up to their realisation are used as evidence to prove to the reader that this notion is indeed necessary.
             At the start of the book it is evident that Tom's concerns are short sighted, naive and undeveloped. His concerns lay centrally with the family and he is yet to embrace the notion that unity among poor will lead to change. In one of the earlier chapters in the book, in a conversation with Ma about prison, Tom quotes,
             "You can't go thinking when you're gonna be out. You'd go nuts, you got to think about that day, the nex' day..."
             This clearly illustrates the shortsightedness of Tom's initial state of mind. He also says to Casy, "I only climb fences when I got fences to climb."
             Casy however is aware throughout the book of the need to work as one and he is the one who inspires this train of thought in Tom. He tells Tom at the start of the book, "Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's a part of." Casy starts also putting his faith into action when he covers for Tom for hitting the police officer. In jail he has an experience where one man starts yelling for more food, then another, then all of them do and they get more food. He then realises the greater good that can come from everybody working together. When he leaves jail he goes on a strike for the migrant farmers. Tom accidentally meets up with him again and Casy explains to Tom his story. At the time it doesn't seem like the message has quite gotten through to Tom but after Casy's death and when Tom is seeking re...