Grapes of Wrath

"In books lies the soul of the whole past time" (Thomas Carlyle). Carlyle explains that through books one can look at the past and experience various shades of life. Both books, John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and Arthur Miller's The Crucible are associated to history in special ways. For instance, The Grapes of Wrath is a story about the Dust Bowl migration and how it altered lives of thousands of people. On the other hand, The Crucible is in relation to the witch-hunts of 1950s. Even though both books are admirable, The Grapes of Wrath had a much deeper impact on my life than The Crucible.

There are countless reasons why Grapes of Wrath influenced me. For example, the main concept of the book was far more superior compared to The Crucible. In Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck plays with a mature theme like depression and the terrible outcomes that follow, while Miller uses a not so thrilling idea of witch craft. Additionally, Steinbeck uses several more people as symbols for future events or to symbolize the current procedures in the book than Miller. Steinbeck's character, Jim Casy's idea of living and assisting poor relates him to Jesus. On the contrary, Steinbeck also passes kindness through Grapes of Wrath. The help that Joads and Wilsons provide to each other on the way to California not only provokes the significance of humanity, but teaches everyone the importance of serving people during trouble. As a result, Grapes of Wrath has numerous principles that one can learn and imply in real life.

The Joad family has few similarities with my family. The way the Joads overcame problems and moved forward; especially in the end when they lost their son, Tom, and when Rose of Sharon gave birth to a stillborn reflected me in a major way. The same incident happened to me in my personal life. I have always been a family guy and have spent fourteen years of my life in India, so when my dad informed me about moving to United States, I was anxious to face a new culture and its people. But, my dad helped me prevail over the fear of leaving friends and relatives. Finally, I moved to U.S. and I am enjoying every second of it. In contrast, while reading The Grapes of Wrath I could feel each and every bit of information provided in the book. I experienced myself as a family member trying to survive in the cruel world with only his family on his side. The emotional scene when the dog died on the middle of a freeway touched

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