Blog 13

Ah a classic question we always have to answer for these novels. "What is the universal theme that the book addresses, and what does the author understand about human nature?"

One theme that is both universal and shows a lot about human nature is the inhumanity of man to man. Steinbeck makes a consistent point throughout the novel that the suffering of all of the migrants is not from just all the bad weather, but people of their own, other human beings. At the time in the novel therea re many social isssues. There were a lot of issues with the economy. There are very distinct social classes, the rich and the poor, the landowner and the tenent. Instead of people helping each other out because they are all going through the same hardships and only worry about themselves. The migrants are especially treated bad. They are treated as animals. They are shuffled from one filthy roadside camp to the next, denied livable wages, and forced to turn against their own people, other migrants, simply to survive(Steinbeck 169). The theme is that a lot of people would look out for themselves instead of stick together and have a common happiness. This also has to do with human nature because it is showing how most humans acted then and probably a lot of the time still now.

Another theme adressed through Steinbeck's work is the power a true family has. The Joad's are a very large family who do a pretty good job of sticking together, except a few that venture out of the family. They all look out for each other and want each other to all survive. They all have a loyalty and commitment to each other. Eventually the Joads meet the Wilsons. In a very timely manner the two families become one. They share each others hardships and use each other to survive. The children of the Wilsons were children of the Joads. This is the distinct moment when Tom learns that his people were not just the Joads, but his people were all people. The migrants behave similarly and band together to ensure survival.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.