Identity In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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What factors and circumstances have driven your identities to be formed or altered? The novel The Grapes of Wrath is written by a remarkable American author called John Steinbeck. He grew up during the dustbowl period when farming was still the dominant job. Most of his books are written based off of his childhood memories, and the novel of The Grapes of Wrath is not an exception. So the characters and the plots of the novel are exceedingly realistic. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck thoroughly uses Marxist ideals to plot the story of a common farming family, the Joad family in Oklahoma who experiences class struggles. The Joad family symbolizes the entire proletariat class in Oklahoma who are forced to leave their homes and …show more content…

Joad family makes a coincidental interaction with the Wilsons, which Ivy Wilson states, “Well, she jus’ won’t run. Starts an’ farts an’ stops.” And Al replies him back, “I think you got a plugged gas line. I’ll blow her out for ya.”(Steinbeck 203) When the Wilsons offer Grandpa Joad a deathbed, Al repairs their car as a repay. No matter how dire their circumstances, the Joads are unwilling to stoop to accepting charity or stealing. When they do accept help, they are quick to repay the debt. Also the Joads suggest that they travel with them and divide the weight of their loads between the two vehicles. Then, in Chapter 16, after traveling with the Joads for two days, the Wilson's car again breaks down. Tom offers to stay behind with Casy to repair the vehicle, explaining that arriving in California as quickly as they can in order to procure jobs is more important. Al offers to stay with them, saying that he can offer some supports. The Joad family begins to not only concentrate on helping themselves, but on helping any migrant farmers in need of food, shelter and transportation. These events exemplify how the Joad family’s identity has changed and is the result of bourgeoisie

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