Nicole+Marlborough

Individuals often times judge right from wrong based on his or her current situation as well as using his or her own personal morals. When confronting injustice, individuals are forced to react in a way that would better their circumstances and benefit them. As seen in The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, and ancillary texts, it is the duty of the individual to unify towards a common cause and individually fulfill their part in society to overcome the obstacle.

In The Grapes of Wrath, the migrant farmers find themselves being displaced from their land and are forced to relocate to California; a place they think will prove to be prosperous. On their journey to a new life, the farmers experience the injustices of greed as well as selfishness. When they reach California, they realize it is no more prosperous than their home of Oklahoma, and the people face the same struggles of poverty.

The main injustice found in the novel is the lack of resources and insufficient infrastructure available to the farmers to overcome the changes in society, such as Industrialization. In order to overcome the injustice encountered, it is the duty of the farmers to unite in an attempt to correct the corrupt society they live in and rise above the injustice. As seen through the symbolism in Chapter Three of The Grapes of Wrath, The farmers are unequipped to deal with the great change of Industrialization. “And now a light truck approached, and as it came near, the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it. His front wheel struck the edge of the shell, flipped the turtle like a tiddly-wink, spun it like a coin, and rolled it off the highway. The truck went back on its course along the right side”(15). The turtle described in the chapter is struck by a truck and is completely taken off course, whereas the truck simply continues on its way. The turtle in this chapter represents the farmers and the truck represents the new, fast paced society of Industrialization. In order to deal with the change, it is the duty of the farmers to unite together in a similar structure as the shell of a turtle. The shell of a turtle is divided into different plates and when hit; the impact is equally distributed to the plates, leaving the turtle unharmed. Similar, it is the duty of the individual to distribute the impact that Industrialization places on them and unite in order to successfully deal with the change.

A second injustice faces by the farmers is exploitation. In much of the novel, the farmers are taken advantage of because their poverty leaves them at the bottom of the social system, thus making them subject to such injustice. Such exploitation is seen in Chapter 12 of The Grapes of Wrath. In this chapter, car salesmen are overcharging the farmers for car parts. The farmers’ status leaves them in no position to bargain so they are forced to accept and pay unreasonably high prices. “… Here- tell ya what I’ll do. I’ll give ya this one for three fifty. You’ll take a flying jump to the moon! We’ll try to make the nex’ town. Think we can make it on that tire?”. The farmers are so desperate for items needed for the continuation of their journey that they must pay whatever necessary to obtain the items. Similar to the situation presented in Chapter 12, the farmers are exploited and sold faulty car parts in Chapter 7. In order to overcome this injustice placed upon the migrant farmers due to their economic status, they must come together to fight, by refusing the purchase of such faulty items and items places at unreasonably high prices.

The injustices of exploitation also correlate to the judgment of right from wrong. In society, it is a common ethic to not sell faulty or overpriced products to consumers. However, even though the salesmen are aware of their actions being immoral, they are able to justify them because they are necessary to leading their “comfortable” lives. By exploiting the farmers, the car salesmen are able to feed their families, thus comforting themselves that what they are doing is “right”. Similarly, the tractor drivers’ pushing the farmers off their land justify their actions because they are doing what it takes to provide for their families. “ ‘Three dollars a day. I got a wife and kids. We got to eat. Three dollars a day, and it comes every day… Can’t think of that. Got to think of my own kids. Three dollars a day, and it comes every day. Times are changing, mister, don’t you know? …Nothing to do about it. You try to get three dollars a day someplace. That’s the only way (37)”. The tractor drivers are simply doing what is necessary to support their families; therefore they are doing what is “right” for themselves in their current circumstance, but morally “wrong” in the eyes of society.

Society dictates much of how and individual judges right from wrong. If an action is being taken that is commonly known to be “wrong” an individual often times finds ways to justify their actions. This justification of actions is frequently simply a lie to oneself in an attempt to minimize the guilt that comes along with the wrongdoing. As described in The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson, all lying, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, could potentially have a negative effect. When people lie they are often times hiding themselves from the truth in an attempt to avoid dealing with the truth and effects of their actions. In The Grapes of Wrath, the tractor drivers are lying to themselves and telling themselves that their actions are “right” because it is the only way to survive. However, the tractor drivers are simply keeping themselves from realizing the reality of their actions; that they are pushing their peers off their land and forcing them into poverty.

A key component to forming the unity required to overcome the injustices faced is compassion. Compassion is needed in order to truthfully come together as a whole and work together to overcome the struggles encountered. As described in the essay On Compassion by Barbara Ascher, compassion is caring for someone enough to put aside all selfish motives and simply helping someone out of the kindness of the heart. Without compassion there can be no trust, which in turn means no true unity. In The Grape of Wrath compassion for the individuals in the society is eventually reached, forming unity. Although the necessary unity is found, the society remains corrupt and unchanged. However, the farmers make great steps and become closer towards reaching the change that is needed.

The judgment of right from wrong rests, in large part, on the personal morals of and individual, which is often times dictated by society. Often times, individuals exhibit wrongdoings in order to better their own circumstances, thus placing injustices among others. The duty of the individuals’ places under the injustice is to find unity amongst others facing similar problems and work together to find a way to overcome the injustices.

Work Cited

Ascher, Barbara L. "On compassion." 10 Mar. 2009 .

Steinbeck, John. Grapes of Wrath. New York, N.Y: Penguin, 1992.

NMarlborough