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Similarities Between Grapes Of Wrath And Civil Disobedience

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Most authors use their writing as an effective way to show an analysis of society from their own point of view. Both John Steinbeck in Grapes of Wrath and Henry David Thoreau in Civil Disobedience use their writings to critique government. These pieces of literature have become extremely popular due to their important and applicable ideas of how government should be regarded. Although Steinbeck and Thoreau have many similar ideas about government, they also differ in some ways. Steinbeck and Thoreau agree that government is oppressive and that the least intrusive government systems are the most effective, but they disagree on whether citizens or the government are more to blame for corruption. Steinbeck and Thoreau both believe that the …show more content…

Thoreau bases much of his argument around this idea, even his opening statement of Civil Disobedience is that he “heartily accepts the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’ and [he] should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically” (Thoreau 1). Any government that is relatively uninvolved in the lives of its citizens and allows the people to have their own beliefs without any repercussions is one that Thoreau advocates for. Steinbeck describes the same type of government that migrants set up on their way west as he states that “there grew up government in the worlds, with leaders, with elders,… each member of the family grew into his proper place, grew into his duties,… and this was done without command” (Steinbeck 132). A group of people can establish their own type of rules and system of doing things without the need for a government. Steinbeck and Thoreau agree that this is a better way of governing a group of people because a large government often becomes oppressive and does not look out for the needs of every citizen. Smaller groups that work together are able to accomplish what a federal government is incapable of, and therefore the authors advocate for such a

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