Grapes Of Wrath Literary Analysis

During the great depression, the midwest underwent a long drought. Exposed dry earth swept away with the wind and caused huge dust storms that prolonged the dry weather. With the lowered selling prices and the lack of crops the farmers had some major economic trouble. In Black Blizzard and John Steinbeck 's Grapes of Wrath, the literature develops the ideas of the poor distribution of wealth within the populations and the social aspects of people of different economic class. Social differences arise in the wealthy, the employed, and the unemployed throughout this period of hardship. The differences of each economic class show the boundaries of how far people sympathise with those with nothing.
When families fail to keep their land in economic

This shows in many instances throughout the people’s struggles. When a property forecloses, Black Blizzard comments on how farmers would bid really low during the farm auctions in order to let the the owners have a chance to buy back their homes. Bidding really low allows the buying price to stay low so the farmer could gather some money to buy it back. This compassion shows the connection and sympathy these farmers, who experience similar problems, have towards one another. These farmers helped out and helped keep each other going in the harsh times, despite a lack of money. In the Grapes of Wrath, the farmers don 't always have the benefit of a helping hand. People sell what little they can to prepare for moving out. As they sell their belongings for really low prices they say “we could saved you, but you cut us down, and soon you will be cut down and there’ll be none of us to save you” (Steinbeck 87). The farmers know others will experience similar circumstances and know that they could have helped one another, showing understanding of another’s troubles even in their desperation. As they descend into destitution, they strive to help one another. They think of the community and kinship

In comparing “I” to “we”, Steinbeck comments that “the quality of owning freezes you forever into “I,” and cuts you off forever from the “we” (152). When a person has something, they worry about their personal possessions and consider others needs but neglect to share their wealth and their mindset. They feel owning a job or their home makes them sperate from others in their struggle to stay in positions of wealth.. During the dust bowl many instances of this selfishness show. In the farmland, a few take what they can when losing their homes. They start using tractors which one farmer protests, saying “for your three dollars a day fifteen or twenty families can 't eat at all. ...Is that right?” (Steinbeck 37). The one farmer takes over several pieces of land so others have to leave. This homeless farmer tries to get compassion from the tractor driver, or at least make him see the wrongness of the situation. The tractor driver responds with “can 't think of that, got to think of my own kids” (Steinbeck 37). Due to the possession of a job with a tractor, the farmer can 't sympathize easily with the farmer with nothing. He knows he can feed his family and so refuses to consider the hardships of the poor farmer or share his earnings due to the small amount it is. This selfishness separates the employed and the poor socially. Another aspect of the employed interactions with the poor includes