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THE GRAPES OF WRATH The Grapes of Wrath is quite a compelling movie, filled with many universal truths and observations on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. The movie is based on the John Steinbeck novel and takes place during the Great Depression in the 1930 s when a dust bowl was created in America s heartland because of drought, over farming and loose topsoil. The movie centers on Tom Joad and the Joad family s experiences during this hard time. One of the universal themes in The Grapes of Wrath is mankind s tendency towards greed. In the movie the Joad family is kicked off of their farm where they worked as sharecroppers for at least two generations. The reasons for the move to California vary for the Joad's.
The changing technology, in the form of huge tractors that can work the land more efficiently and more cheaply than the sharecroppers can, and the Great Depression of the 1930 s cause the big companies that own the land to release the sharecroppers from there homes in an attempt to make the land turn a bigger profit, making the owners of the company richer. But, Murley, the man who stayed behind, hiding among the deserted farms, tells us that it is not that simple. The companies have to use the new tractor technology or they will go bankrupt, leaving their land to be bought by another company who will have to do the same thing to make sure they do not go bankrupt as well. Murley finds it hard to blame anyone in particular and so has no outlet for his anger at being left with no place to live. Greed also affects the Joad family, when after having their dreams of finding jobs in California shattered, they take work wherever they can get it. Where they can get it, turns out to be a farm where they compete for fruit picking jobs with many other families at well under a fair wage.
The farm owners, after luring in the families with a set price per fruit bucket filled; fifteen cents each, then lowers the price paid to ten cents each, after the families stay a while, allowing the farm owners to rake in huge profits by getting all their fruit picked with such low labor costs, and knowing the families have no where else to go for work, especially with twenty other families seeking their hard to find jobs. If there is a universal theme of mankind s greed in The Grapes of Wrath, there is also one of charity. Ma Joad, after arriving in a campsite where all the Oasis gather, sees children who are so hungry they resort to begging for some of the meager food that Ma Joad is preparing. Ma, knowing that her family should come first, serves her family members a small portion and leaves the rest for the children to share. The Joad's also find charity in the form of the U. S.
Government; specifically the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The government runs a facility that helps the exiled sharecroppers from all over the United States get back on their feet, by providing a safe place to live, and a clean place to stay while they look for work.
The camp also holds a dance where the exiled sharecroppers can forget their worries for a little while and enjoy some of their life again after experiencing so much hardship and uncertainty. The camp is run by whoever is chosen by the people staying at the camp and this allows the families staying there to experience a sense of control over their life that had been missing since the exile from their farms. The Grapes of Wrath shows us that in a world, where greed is the predominant motivation for many people s actions, a little charity can go a long way towards making life for the people who are experiencing so much adversity and uncertainty, a little less miserable. It also shows that people can, and do prosper in an environment where sharing is the predominant motivation.
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Research essay sample on Grapes Of Wrath Place To Live
