Essay: The Grapes of Wrath: Property and Ownership
In the first third of The Grapes of Wrath, we are confronted with a number of scenes related to ownership and proprietorship. Take, for example, the interaction between the trucker and Tom Joad at the beginning of Chapter 2 (the sticker on the truck), the discussion of land as it relates to the family’s history in Chapter 5, the sale of the people’s “belongings” in Chapter 9, and the return to the discussion of land and people’s connection to (or disconnection from) it, in Chapter 11. Throughout these sections, then, Steinbeck is making a point about the nature of ownership.
So… what point do you believe Steinbeck is making? How does Steinbeck want us to re-think ownership, or to understand it in a new way? Using passages and citations from the text, build your own argument about what Steinbeck might say about the nature of ownership, property or proprietorship. Think of this as a first draft of a formal paper; shoot for 2-3 pages, typed and double-spaced.