The Community In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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As mankind has changed, our society has gradually developed from the singular life of cavemen into the diverse and global wide network that we have today. Throughout this journey, we have always searched for the perfect system for our society, one that not only furthers the community, but furthers the individual as well. In order to do this, however, it is first necessary for us to understand what our role towards the community must be. Although we are inevitably pulled to the completely capitalistic ideal of simply helping ourselves; ultimately, we are strongest when we bond together to form a communal society. Nevertheless, we must ask ourselves the question, will man ever be willing to sacrifice everything to the community? The negative answer to this extreme question clearly shows us the true solution to what our role should be in our society. Because of the communistic needs of the…show more content…
On one hand, if we forego the idea of society as a whole and focus simply on the idea of helping ourselves, like the banks in The Grapes of Wrath, we will result in the destruction of the lower and middle classes, ultimately leading to depression, followed by revolution. This was proven through the fall of the communist Soviet Union, when the people eventually became tired of living in poverty and demanded change. Their failure to provide a reason for people to push themselves to excel was ultimately their demise. On the other hand, if we are to constantly help the needy and forget about the responsibilities that we have to ourselves, we not only hurt ourselves by always giving away the things that we have worked for but we also endanger the needy. If they are constantly provided for, how are the less fortunate going to learn to provide for themselves and why would they be motivated to do

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