The grapes of wrath and two philosophers

The grapes of wrath and two philosophers

The grapes of wrath and two philosophers

In the “The Grapes of Wrath” by Steinbeck realizes the black reality of the depression era through an exploration of the migrant workers. However, despite such a morbid subject the novel maintains a driving optimism. This can be traced to the ability that the characters have to express free will, and through an expansion of consciousness, exert influence on their social world. Further, through economic politics, Steinbeck may very well imply that this is not merely the plight of one symbolic family, but rather a representation of the oppression that debilitates the class as a whole. If sufficiently enraged and ennobled, they can and will act against their persecutors. Through a study of the migrants' plight, connections can be made between Socialism and Marxian thought and their contribution to the novel's timeless and driving message.

The definition of Socialism is draped in controversy. Essentially there are three kinds of Socialism in political economic terms: Utopian Socialism, Democratic Socialism, and Marxian Socialism. Three main classifications thereof mainly alter the way that this change comes about. In Utopian Socialism, the current government releases all of its power to the people. In Marxian Socialism however, the masses must violently overthrow the system. Finally, Democratic Socialism is reached through politics and the transformation of the current government, and neither struggle nor radical resignation is required. The most important observation that all of these approaches make, is that a Socialistic order is the most efficient, because a close cooperation of the people can lead to a relative synergy.

Thomas Hobbes

The 17th Century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes is now widely regarded as one of a handful of truly great political philosophers, whose masterwork Leviathan rivals in significance the political writings of Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Rawls. Hobbes is famous for his early and elaborate development of what has come to be known as “social contract theory”, the method of justifying political principles or arrangements by appeal to the agreement that would be made among suitably situated rational, free, and equal persons. He is infamous for having used the social contract method to arrive at the astonishing conclusion that we ought to submit to the authority of an absolute—undivided and unlimited—sovereign power.

It is important that both of these men discovered socialism with a similarly biological and utilitarian focus, because even completely removed from each other they might have reached similar societal conclusions. This idea of a social being, is not isolated to these two men, rather it is a profundity that is realized also by Thomas Hobbes. He suggests that, "collective persons are important characters in [The Grapes of Wrath], since the plot movement is expressed in group terms. It can be read as a story of conflicts and interactions among several group organisms: The Joad family, [...] the California Farmer's Association [..., the bank], and the workers' union".

According to Fontenrose, the most profound example is that of ...