Theme Of Empathy In The Grapes Of Wrath - 1096 Words

Crashing, banging, and screaming echo from the upstairs neighbors as the tv flashes through different channels.The screaming continues on and on until nothing, everything had ended in a large thud. The thought of calling the police or doing nothing swirls through the thoughts of all that could hear the commotion. The idea of helping others in their time of need is caused by the empathy people feel about the situation and will determine if police will show up or not. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the same ideas circulate through characters littered throughout the book. The dustbowl is in full effect with thousands of people kicked off their land, which causes them to all search for jobs in California. The people†¦show more content†¦The words â€Å"To build a wall†(150) are emphasized by Steinbeck to show how people reacted to the loss of empathy by restraining it in a closed corner of the mind in order to fill the requisite of what is needed fro m occupations. In the end, Steinbeck had the owner men adapt to their jobs and block the flow of empathy or resist, but lose your job in the process. Individuals come from different perspectives on a situation and will have a difficult time reasoning with others due to the misunderstandings of the other’s thought process. Tom was talking to a gas station owner whose â€Å"tryin’ to get along†(126) but doesnt understand the reason for everyone moving west. The gas station owner is part of the glass bubble that in unable to fathom the reasoning of moving West in unsanitary conditions and vice versa can be said about Tom who does not understand the gas station owner’s perspective. Steinbeck describes the gas station owners perspective by him seeing â€Å"any them big new cars stops here?†(126) to further develop empathy for the gas station owner. The confrontation between Tom and the gas station owner further illustrates how difficult interactions with others who have foreign perspectives. The gas station owner mostly observes people who â€Å"steal stuff†(126) from his store and they  "got no money†(126), so they revert to begging in search for some empathy. Over time, the gas station owner becomes deprived of empathy because he gives and gives,Show MoreRelatedComparing The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck and To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee1327 Words   |  6 Pagesbeing killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath† (Steinbeck 349). John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, portrays the migrant’s resentment of the California land owners and their way of life and illustrates that the vagrants from Oklahoma are yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a MockingbirdRead MoreThematic Message: Good vs. Evil1546 Words   |  7 Pagesbeing killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putref ying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath† (Steinbeck 349). John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, portrays the migrant’s resentment of the California land owners and their way of life and illustrates that the vagrants from Oklahoma are yearning for labor, provisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a MockingbirdRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck and To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee1413 Words   |  6 Pagesbeing killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath† (Steinbeck 349). John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath, portrays the migrant’s resentment of the California land owners and their way of life and illustrates that the vagrants from Oklahoma are yearning for labor, p rovisions, and human decency. Similarly in To Kill a MockingbirdRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1967 Words   |  8 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is the story which takes place in a time where opportunity is nil and desperation has overtaken American en masse. The story is told several viewpoints with majority of them being witnessed from Tom Joad and his family while others are from minor characters who share a similar circumstance or actively benefiting from the misfortunes of others. Larger businesses are overtaking others and placing profits above people. 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This example of Daniel Radosh and his son is just one of many cases where censorship affected a literary work. There is a wide-range of books that are challenged per year by patrons and parents. Books areRead MoreLooking Back. At The Beginning Of The Semester I Can Honestly1800 Words   |  8 Pagesasked to write about it was somewhat of a challenge for me at first. I have never taken the time to get somethin g on paper they way that I had. I found it to be both enlightening and enjoyable. I was also surprised how much I enjoyed reading Grapes of Wrath. Aside from being an excellent story, I also enjoyed learning about the history behind it. I have always been a history lover, and have social studies as part of my degree. Being able to relate the occurrences in the text to what is happening