The purpose of this short essay was to explain using a quote from the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck an example of man's inhumanity to man.
The Grapes of Wrath is a good example of mans inhumanity to man. One quote that John Steinbeck uses to describe this is when the Joads first arrive at the government camp. Ma says:
"We're Joads. We don't look up to nobody. Grampa's grampa, he fit in the Revolution. We was farm people till the debt. And then--them people. They done somepin to us. Ever' time they come seemed like they was a-whippin' me--all of us. An' in Needles, that police. He done somepin to me, made me feel mean. Made me feel ashamed. An' now I ain't ashamed. These folks is our folks--is our folks. An' that manager, he come an' set an' drank coffee, an' he says, 'Mrs. Joad' this, an' 'Mrs. Joad' that--an' 'How you getting' on, Mrs. Joad?'" She stopped and sighed. "Why, I feel like people again."
She is talking about the changes that have occurred to her at the hands of the government. They random acts of anger that have received from total strangers has taken her by surprise and made her feel hostile herself. It makes you feel that she isn't "treating others the way you'd like to be treated" but she has evolved into "treating other the way she is being treated."
This brings up a good question that people often ask about the "good in the world." Constantly people are commenting about "what this country is coming to" in reference to all the cruelties going on. The reason for this is exactly how Ma has explained. They are struggling so much to stay alive not necessarily because of bad weather or bad land or bad luck, but because mankind has become unkind. She is realizing that the world is coming to a "save yourself" type and she needs to watch out...
More John Steinbeck
essays:
"The Grapes of Wrath", by Steinbeck - Critical Analysis
... people received no aid whatsoever from neither the state of California nor the federal government. The rage he experienced from seeing such treatment fueled his novel The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck sought ...
"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. Report (designed orally) that covers main characters and the different parts of the book, such as the exposition and climax, main themes and conflicts.
... The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Farewell to Manzanar is history, but it represents what we have already ... away from the Joad family, and painting a picture through a specific subject, but through random description at the same time. Steinbeck often ...
Oppression: The Unlikely Savior - The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
... group of people to a harsh or cruel form of domination. In John Steinbecks masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath, the Joads are ... people of the government camp have found a way around that. When the ruler of the camp, the ...
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
... The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck speaks of the ongoing tirade hovering over the never-ending cycle of unemployment ... and stops them from easily moving is Tom Joad Jr. He was originally sentenced to four years in prison after killing a man in self-defense. However, after having behaving ...
Trampling out the Vintage: Steinbeck's Crusade Against Injustice
... angry, John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath. It embodies all the characteristics Ive discussed so far, but what sets it apart was the extraordinary anger that ...
"Women as self-sacrificing and nurturing mothers in The Grapes Of Wrath" is about the portrayal of women in John Steinbeck's novel
... Reisel. "From Heroine to Supporting Player: The Diminution of Ma Joad". Critical Essays on Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Ed. John Ditsky ...
Grapes of Wrath - Comparing the end of Grapes of Wrath to John Steinbeck's essay "What's happening to America"
... Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Throughout the Grapes of Wrath, the American spirit was defined by a capitalistic nature, one ...
"Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
... book Grapes of Wrath tells about the dust Bowl people's troubles they had coming to California. It tell about the Joad's trip from Oklahoma to California. There are twelve people in the Joad family ...