Overcoming Adversity In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

Do individuals overcome adversity in different ways? Yes, one can either solve problems by themselves, or with the help from others, but depending on the situation one can be better than the other. Many literary works, as well as digital sources, show how individuals cope with obstacles. Sometimes together, sometimes alone.
In the novel excerpt, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, a dust storm and a drought ruined the farmland in Oklahoma. Many farmers sold their belongings and moved. They handled their problems and obstacles on their own without help from others. The novel says, “Well,take it - all junk - and give me five dollars” (pg.458,para.7). The piece of text shows that the Joad family, that was a farming family, sold all their belongings that they could sell and was not essential.

The text also says, “They stood and watched them burning, and then frantically they loaded up the cars and drove away, drove into the dust” (pg.460,para.20).

This shows that they burned the rest of their belongings that they did not find essential, and moved because they could no longer stay there as a farming family. Both of these quotes show that they did not depend on others to help them and handled their problems on their own. The individuals in The Grapes of Wrath solved their problems without receiving help from others, but one does not need to overcome all obstacles they have alone.
In the short story, “The Circuit,” by Francisco Jimenez, panchito, a migrant worker, tries to get an education, but he does not understand english very well. After practicing on his own, and failing, he asks for help from his teacher, Mr. Lema. The text states, “Mr. Lema was sitting at his desk correcting papers … I walked up to him and asked if he could help me with the new words” (pg.474,para.29). This shows that instead of continuing to struggle on his own, Panchito asked for help with the words from Mr.

Lema.
In the short documentary, “For Many Child Farmworkers, Getting an Education is Almost Impossible,” by the Fusion network, it covers a story about Alejandro, Virgilio, and Ever Moreno who are migrant workers. They are having trouble with school because of the stress, fatigue, and that they keep moving from place to place. They eventually get help from others. It says, “Dedicated tutors like Pettis Nava try to ease the academic and emotional toll on migrant students.” This shows that the students got help from tutors to stay caught up in school.
Different people cope with obstacles in different ways. One can always solve their problems individually, like in The Grapes of Wrath, but sometimes it is better to ask for help like Panchito in “The Circuit.” Solving problems on one’s own can show independence, while asking for help can never hurt. If we simply ask for help, we can overcome obstacles that we would not overcome alone.