The evolution of characters from a being living a life centered in self to a philanthropically social being in The Grapes of Wrath of John Steinbeck

Abstract

Abstract

John Steinbeck is among the great writers of the Great Depression decade of 1930’s best known for his Dust Bowl Triology consisting of In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). It would not be incorrect if we consider him to be the spokesperson of migrant families, who visualized the hard life being lived by the migrant workers of ranches, farms being disposed of their land and ownership during the recession era in America and his novel The Grapes of Wrath stands outstanding in this art. It is just not the epic novel of realistic perspective but a great work of literature where we just not witness the ups and downs of the Joad family and other migrant families but see the perfect evolution of characters in their journey of life. This paper thus puts light on that aspect of the novel where we find the dissolution of boundaries of characters centered for concern of self or private to an upgraded level of concern for other person and families to a social level who are undergoing the same pace of hardship for survival during times when people in general become mean and shrewd for survival of their own; presenting evolution of characters in true sense.