Comparing Civil Disobedience And The Grapes Of Wrath

In Steinbeck’s novel Grapes of Wrath, a farming family must overcome the great depression by earning their way to finding jobs in California. However, the government is one of the major obstacles the Joads must face. In Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience he mainly talks about the avoidance of paying taxes to the government. Thoreau’s essay and Steinbeck’s novel both have things in common and ideals that are different such as the government, revolution, and the people’s rights towards the government.
The major topic on both authors talk about is the government. They both refer to the American government. In Steinbeck’s case they manipulate the farmers to go away for their own profit while the farmers receive nothing. For instance, the government is described as a, “monster,” to the people for evicting the families for enough profit out of them (Steinbeck 43). Here the

government is cheating the farm families and has no regards to where they will end up. Steinbeck portrays the government as pure evil and a difficult obstacle to face in the Great Depression. In Thoreau’s case, the government is portrayed as annoying and unqualified. For example, the governments issue of having the people pay taxes makes Thoreau feel angry. In fact, he states, “My civil neighbor, the tax-gatherer, is the very man I have to deal with, for it is… I quarrel,” (Thoreau 7). Thoreau is strongly against taxes issued by the government which causes him to avoid paying taxes. There is also a similarity between the two functions in the governments which is they both manipulate the people for their profit. Steinbeck’s government takes advantage of the poor farmers to gain profit while Thoreau’s government issues taxes to the people for their profit.
Another way the functions of two governments can be compared and contrasted is by how the people revolt against the government. Thoreau’s method in revolting against the government is by simply not paying taxes at all. In fact, Thoreau has not paid, “poll-tax for six years,” and has only, “put into a jail once on this account, for one night,” to revolt against the government (Thoreau 9). His idea of revolution against the government is different then Steinbeck’s because Steinbeck’s revolt uses violence to go against the government. The violence occurred when Jim Cay pleads the police to stop harassing Jim and Tom and ultimately kills him. In retaliation Tom made a, “crushing blow found on his head, ”(Steinbeck 527). Tom killing the police represents every farmer that has been evicted from their farm. They want to fight the government however they are too poor and weak to stand up against the government. There is one similarity between the two functions of the government related to revolution. Both of the governments have enough power to stop the people from causing a revolution due to their rules and regulations.
The functions of both governments also can be compared with people’s rights from the government.

The people in The Grapes of Wrath were prevented their rights to protest as they were prohibited power from the government. For instance, the farmers had no choice but to leave their farms since the government ordered tractors that, “came over the roads and into the fields, great crawlers moving like insects,” (Steinbeck 47). In this case, the people are prevented their rights and are forced to move. A similarity can be seen by the way Thoreau describes how the government treats people’s rights. Thoreau exaggerates his point when he states, “If one honest man, in this state of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership,” to relate the taxpayers as slaves to the government (Thoreau 7). The taxpayers are forced by the government to pay and are manipulated like slaves. Those who do not pay taxes are punished by going to jail. The only difference between the two is that the government basically controls the life and death of the farmers in Grapes of

Wrath.
In conclusion, Civil Disobedience and Grapes of Wrath have more differences on functions of their governments than similarities. The differences and similarities was compared from the actions from the government, the protest from the people to the government, and the people’s consequences from disobeying the government. It is up to the people to judge and create a secure and fair government afterall.