APLAC: Steinbeck's "The Grapes of
Wrath" - Exam
Suffering: - correct answer Steinbeck's sharp contrast between the humanness of the
farmer and the inhumanness of the banks and their machines reinforces this notion of the loss that
occurs when people are removed from the life force of land. The Bank is a monster which paradoxically
lives off profits, not the produce of the earth. The tractor, a mechanized symbol of a new way of life, is
not alive, but nonetheless eats homes as it furrows the repossessed farms. Deterred by nothing, the
tractor destroys all human elements in its path. When the driver climbs on the tractor, he becomes
linked to its goal of gaining individual profit. His perception and protest effectively "goggled" and
"muzzled," he refuses to consider the plight of the neighbors he is tractoring off the land. The tractor
driver prioritizes the feeding his own family over the economic tragedy of his fellow farmers. His
contribution to the economic decline of his community is in contrast to Casy's theory that all must help
each other because they are all part of the same being.
Dehumanization: - correct answer Steinbeck consistently and woefully points to the
fact that the migrants' great suffering is caused not by bad weather or mere misfortune but by their
fellow human beings. Historical, social, and economic circumstances separate people into rich and poor,
landowner and tenant, and the people in the dominant roles struggle viciously to preserve their
positions. In his brief history of California in Chapter 19, Steinbeck portrays the state as the product of
land-hungry squatters who took the land from Mexicans and, by working it and making it produce,
rendered it their own. Now, generations later, the California landowners see this historical example as a
threat, since they believe that the influx of migrant farmers might cause history to repeat itself. In order
to protect themselves from such danger, the landowners create a system in which the migrants are
treated like animals, shuffled from one filthy roadside camp to the next, denied livable wages, and
forced to turn against their brethren simply to survive. The novel draws a simple line through the
population—one that divides the privileged from the poor—and identifies that division as the primary
source of evil and suffering in the world.
Technology and Progress: - correct answer
Social Class: - correct answer
Selfishness v. Self-Interest: - correct answer
, Roadside Camps "Hoovervilles" - Chapter 17: - correct answer Chapter 17 provides
an abstract illustration of the re-formulating concept of community, a generalized vision of people
governing themselves by adhering to a philosophy of living not unlike Casy's theory of love and the
Oversoul. We are all part of one being; therefore, if we all follow laws (or rights) that arise out of
common sense, experience, and respect for others, it is possible to govern ourselves. This idea of self-
governing migratory camps will be solidified in the government camp at Weedpatch. These pockets of
self-government are in sharp contrast to the laws enforced by those in power — laws designed to keep
weaker persons at a disadvantage. It is this injustice that Tom is fighting against when he later rages
against cops and other formal figures of authority.
The theme of survival by pragmatism is illuminated by the inhabitants of these transitory, self-governing
camps. Those people who are able to be flexible, to adapt to new circumstances, are the ones who will
survive, and adaptability is gained through group action. People isolated into "I" thinking are static,
while those who join together to create a "we" community are always shifting, always changing. We
should remember that Steinbeck's novel is not just a social tract for its time — the solutions he offers
are neither radical, nor one-sided, but universal. Although he strikes a sympathetic cord in his heartfelt
description of injustice, he also asserts that it is not enough for the economic powers to "play fair." In
order for society as a whole to survive, fair industrial practices must be met by changes in the moving
forces of people.
Government Camps: - correct answer Benefits:
Drawbacks:
The Boxcars: - correct answer Benefits:
Drawbacks:
Religion & Charity in lodgings: - correct answer
PowerPoint on Steinbeck & Structure: - correct answer
Chapter 1: - correct answer Chapter 1 establishes the epic context and tone for the
entire novel. This brief, but important, opening chapter provides a backdrop for the main events of the
narrative, describing the event primarily responsible for spurring the great migration to California during
Wrath" - Exam
Suffering: - correct answer Steinbeck's sharp contrast between the humanness of the
farmer and the inhumanness of the banks and their machines reinforces this notion of the loss that
occurs when people are removed from the life force of land. The Bank is a monster which paradoxically
lives off profits, not the produce of the earth. The tractor, a mechanized symbol of a new way of life, is
not alive, but nonetheless eats homes as it furrows the repossessed farms. Deterred by nothing, the
tractor destroys all human elements in its path. When the driver climbs on the tractor, he becomes
linked to its goal of gaining individual profit. His perception and protest effectively "goggled" and
"muzzled," he refuses to consider the plight of the neighbors he is tractoring off the land. The tractor
driver prioritizes the feeding his own family over the economic tragedy of his fellow farmers. His
contribution to the economic decline of his community is in contrast to Casy's theory that all must help
each other because they are all part of the same being.
Dehumanization: - correct answer Steinbeck consistently and woefully points to the
fact that the migrants' great suffering is caused not by bad weather or mere misfortune but by their
fellow human beings. Historical, social, and economic circumstances separate people into rich and poor,
landowner and tenant, and the people in the dominant roles struggle viciously to preserve their
positions. In his brief history of California in Chapter 19, Steinbeck portrays the state as the product of
land-hungry squatters who took the land from Mexicans and, by working it and making it produce,
rendered it their own. Now, generations later, the California landowners see this historical example as a
threat, since they believe that the influx of migrant farmers might cause history to repeat itself. In order
to protect themselves from such danger, the landowners create a system in which the migrants are
treated like animals, shuffled from one filthy roadside camp to the next, denied livable wages, and
forced to turn against their brethren simply to survive. The novel draws a simple line through the
population—one that divides the privileged from the poor—and identifies that division as the primary
source of evil and suffering in the world.
Technology and Progress: - correct answer
Social Class: - correct answer
Selfishness v. Self-Interest: - correct answer
, Roadside Camps "Hoovervilles" - Chapter 17: - correct answer Chapter 17 provides
an abstract illustration of the re-formulating concept of community, a generalized vision of people
governing themselves by adhering to a philosophy of living not unlike Casy's theory of love and the
Oversoul. We are all part of one being; therefore, if we all follow laws (or rights) that arise out of
common sense, experience, and respect for others, it is possible to govern ourselves. This idea of self-
governing migratory camps will be solidified in the government camp at Weedpatch. These pockets of
self-government are in sharp contrast to the laws enforced by those in power — laws designed to keep
weaker persons at a disadvantage. It is this injustice that Tom is fighting against when he later rages
against cops and other formal figures of authority.
The theme of survival by pragmatism is illuminated by the inhabitants of these transitory, self-governing
camps. Those people who are able to be flexible, to adapt to new circumstances, are the ones who will
survive, and adaptability is gained through group action. People isolated into "I" thinking are static,
while those who join together to create a "we" community are always shifting, always changing. We
should remember that Steinbeck's novel is not just a social tract for its time — the solutions he offers
are neither radical, nor one-sided, but universal. Although he strikes a sympathetic cord in his heartfelt
description of injustice, he also asserts that it is not enough for the economic powers to "play fair." In
order for society as a whole to survive, fair industrial practices must be met by changes in the moving
forces of people.
Government Camps: - correct answer Benefits:
Drawbacks:
The Boxcars: - correct answer Benefits:
Drawbacks:
Religion & Charity in lodgings: - correct answer
PowerPoint on Steinbeck & Structure: - correct answer
Chapter 1: - correct answer Chapter 1 establishes the epic context and tone for the
entire novel. This brief, but important, opening chapter provides a backdrop for the main events of the
narrative, describing the event primarily responsible for spurring the great migration to California during
