Selflessness In John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat

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When one sees a person who is concerned with the well-being of others without expecting anything in return they are witnessing altruism. In order to possess altruistic values ones must be selfless. To be selfless one must have more concern about another person than themselves. Throughout John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat, a group of paisano friends show this altruism. The paisanos express their selflessness in the altruistic actions of aiding the Caporal in the health of his son, assisting the Pirate with his goals, and helping Senora Teresina Cortez provide food for her children.
Jesus Maria expresses his selflessness to the Caporal. He is seen as a true humanitarian among the town of Tortilla Flat. Jesus Maria appears to have a knack for finding …show more content…

After Pilon informs his friends of this stash they invite the Pirate into Danny’s house with the stash and the amount of wine it can buy in mind. After finding out more about the Pirate, Danny shows the first glimpse of selflessness about letting the Pirate stay in his house saying, “Poor little lonely man. If I had known, I would have asked him long ago, even if he has no treasure,” (Steinbeck 69). The additional statement about the treasure foreshadows the altruistic actions to come. The Pirate feels very welcome in the home of Danny. He does not know that for weeks the friends are being selfish in the attempt to steel the stash. After putting fear of theft into the Pirate’s mind, he brings his stash to the group of paisanos allowing them to protect it. He tells the friends the importance of the money leading them to realize they can no longer steal from the Pirate (Steinbeck 67-75). The terrible act of selfishness soon turns into selflessness for the paisanos. From that moment on, the paisanos helped the Pirate in collecting the money he needed. They never touch the money that becomes a symbol of their friendship and trust with the Pirate. If the Pirate does not collect the money for the day,

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