On Metamorphasis and the Grapes of Wrath

275 Words2 Pages
Society is defined as “a voluntary association of individuals for common ends; especially : an organized group working together or periodically meeting because of common interests, beliefs, or profession” by Merriam-Webster. A definition of the word “society,”, similar to the previous, can be found in any dictionary, but no textual source breathes a word outside of a strict and literal definition. What is our place in society? In an American “association of individuals”, there are no directions which order each individual on what to do. There are no spoken words of boundaries or constrictions of class. Every inhabitant of the society, however, binds themselves to their own place in society. They classify themselves and each other according to their beliefs, ethnicity, and most of all, wealth. In John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family and other farming families have been evaluated as worthless due to being unable to grow crops in the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma and have been kicked off their farms due to being unable to pay the banks. An individual's place in society is wherever one wishes to be, yet people bind themselves excessively in order to earn an income. In a society, individuals are expected to work, to provide, and to cooperate. Cooperation and cohabitation is how a society is created and maintained. Gregor Samsa, from Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, prior to becoming an “enormous vermin,” was the sole provider for his parents and sister. Once Gregor had attained a job and began to shoulder the family's debt, his duty remained that he must keep doing so. An individual's actions are meant to sustain the entirety of the
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