John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath: Moral And Social World View

If there is a creative work that has shaped my moral and social world view, it is John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Its portrayal, through the deeply proud and human Joad family, of the plight of so many during such a difficult time in America suggests a set of core attitudes by which an honorable people can cope with all sorts of difficulties, including the sort that America and the world struggle with today. Using scenes of great power and feeling, Steinbeck suggests that a healthy society must nourish and respect a person's sense of dignity and self-reliance. For the Joads and the other tenants and migrants, this meant ownership of land and the right to dignified work at decent pay. As an immigrant from Jamaica, a poor country with less