A Superior Socialism
Studies the idea of socialism as in literature.
During the nineteen-thirties the world was entering a new era; new radical groups were coming to power. The most threatening of these to America?s capitalist based society was socialism. By definition socialism is a form of government in which the government runs all businesses, utilities, natural resources and banks. Hard working citizens have the privilege of owning private land and other less significant commodities. Generally the government expects citizens to assist everyone else in the community (Burke 1). Although similar, socialism and communism follow separate philosophies. Communism often fails due to a forced forfeit of all personal property. The exchange of power often occurs quickly this causes citizens to revolt against communism (Meyer 1). Steinbeck recognizes the dangers obscured in communism and consciously does not support primary communist beliefs; including the belief in common wealth, in which all men receive an equal amount of wealth. Instead Steinbeck suggests that when in it?s purest form socialism is a superior form of government.
Steinbeck asserts the pre-eminence of socialism through the identities of his characters, their surroundings and their development throughout the novel. He uses the contrasting beliefs of political movements to reveal the hidden intentions of different capitalist entities including banks, companies and corporations. The lifestyles of migrants and the Joad family in particular are used to emphasize the key beliefs of socialism. Steinbeck focuses on the maturation of Ma, Tom, and Casy throughout The Grapes of Wrath; their change from capitalist towards socialist beliefs are an integral part of the novel.
During the Great Depression, not only were people suffering from a lack of wealth, but banks as well starved for money or land. ?The Monster,? as the bank was called, stalked the farmers, living off of the repossessed land as a man lives off side meat. An unnamed Okie explains ?the bank is something more than men [?] It?s the monster. Men made it, but they can?t destroy it?(45). The men needed to borrow from the bank to survive a hard year. This simple loan eventually swelled in the stomach of the bank until it demanded the farmers? land. These farmers lived for the land. If their land was devoured they too died.
Companies thrive off of capitalism. Owners encourage employees to make a maximum profit at all costs; this accompanied with little government intervention can only lead to the abuse of laborers (Peterson 1). When the Joads and other Okies entered California they faced this same dilemma. In order to make maximum profits the companies would pay wages so low it took a full day?s work to buy a single loaf of bread. And if they could not afford to pick and process the crop then ?carloads of oranges [were] dumped on the ground [?] and men with hoses squirt[ed] kerosene on the oranges? (476). ?And the children dying of pellagra [malnutrition] must die? proclaims Steinbeck ?because a profit cannot be taken from an orange?(477). This defies all logic. Why should a child die from starvation when the destruction of food has become a common practice in business? Only the omnipresent greed found in man can do this. What better way to feed greed than capitalism?
All companies need machines and all monsters need limbs. The companies hired labor contractors to find a large work force willing to labor during short picking seasons. In order to do this they advertised to thirty times the men needed and then began cutting wages until only a small group of men with three or four children that hadn?t eaten in a week were left. These migrants needed any kind of income; they would work for practically nothing. These men were their favorites; they would work for a handful of flour and a nickel a day (259). Only a hardened criminal would commit such a sin. Every criminal needs a way to protect himself; Steinbeck declares that the majority of the contractors kept a cop on their hip for protection (359). Late in the novel Casy dies when a mob of police and work contractors beat him to death for being ?a red-son-of-a-bitch?(527).
While in California and on Highway 66 the Joads and other Okies require the generosity of others in the same condition in order to morally survive. In times of such oppression the Okies placed a high value on religion; death often displays the religious beliefs of mankind. When Grampa dies the Wilsons give up a family quilt to bury him. Grampa could have simply been buried but this would have been a disgrace to his spirit, instead a quilt held together with pins serves as a coffin. Steinbeck addresses the goodwill of others when a child in a Hooverville died ?hands went into pockets and little coins came out. In front of the tent a little heap of silver grew. And the family found it there? (326). This was the only way for most families to afford a decent burial for their starved children.
Man uses knowledge to survive life in this harsh world; often sharing this knowledge can save others. A man who lives in California warns Tom about work contractors and police. He informs Tom about the dishonesty of the police and their brutal behavior. Tom also finds out about the systems the contractors use to control the poor. This knowledge helps the Joad family survive multiple encounters with the police; being able to do this enables Tom to avoid being arrested and the Joad family from being broken up. ?It is evident [?] that the dependence of the individual upon society is a fact of nature which can not be abolished? (Einstein 2).
Socialism encourages a belief in an over-soul or group spirit in which all men are involved. Lisca addresses this when he says?[T]he primitive family unit is breaking up, but the[se] fragments are going to make up a larger group?(97). Throughout The Grapes of Wrath the Joads take non-biological members into their family; Casy, the Wilsons and the Wainwrights are all taken into the family. Slowly a new consciousness came over the Okies ??I lost my land? is changed; a cell is split and from its splitting grows the thing you hate- ?We lost our land??(206). This ?we? is the concept behind socialism and the most substantial threat to capitalism.
Ma Joad, like all mothers, concerns herself only with the welfare of her family. When the Joads have suffered everything humanly possible Ma realizes the importance of the human family. When the family reaches the verge of disbanding for a short period, Ma takes control and yells out ?What we got lef? in the worl?? Nothin? but the folks?(230). To Ma the family is the only important thing. Again Steinbeck emphasizes this point in the Hooverville when the Joads barely have enough food and starving children surround them, begging for food. ?I dunno what to do,? articulates Ma, ?I can?t rob the fambly. I got to feed the fambly? (351). In the peach camp, a setting that represents a low in the life of the Joads, Ma finally vocalizes her realization. ?If you?re in trouble or hurt or need- go to the poor people. They?re the only ones that?ll help- the only ones? (513-14). Ma finally realizes the importance of the human family and its priority over the biological family.
Tom Joad acts as a symbol of the typical American, a capitalist, during the opening chapters of The Grapes of Wrath. He has become greedy and self-centered in prison; his concerns are related more to how others see him than who he is. Slowly Tom begins to convert his beliefs towards those of Casy. Tom determines that Casy?s insane belief in an over-soul is not as insane as it is ingenious. Unlike Casy who uses passive, peaceful means to emphasize his point Tom will take action in order to save the Okies from capitalist oppression. When in the cave Tom proclaims ?[I?m going to do] what Casy done?? but I will duck faster (571). Casy?s biggest failure is not ducking and this immediately leads to his death. Tom becomes determined that he will not fail where Casy did.
Steinbeck presents Jim Casy as being the ideal socialist person. As a hard-working man he does not demand much for his contributions to society. Casy remains a true, loyal supporter of freedom. A human spirit or over-soul becomes the basis of the former preacher?s beliefs. This over-soul embodies the souls of all men therefore making all of man kind one creature, one entity. Socialism supports this belief in the unity of mankind. Eventually Casy leads an assault on the large capitalist companies of California. He plans and executes multiple strikes on the corporate farms abusing Okies. A mob of police and contractors murder him for these beliefs using the accusation that Casy is a ?red-son-of-a-bitch? as an excuse (527).
Einstein once proclaimed that ?the economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is [?] the real source of evil?(3). Steinbeck commits to these same beliefs. After The Great Depression, which was caused by capitalism (McElvaine 2), the only obvious solution involves a transfer of government powers from capitalist rulers to socialist organizers. Steinbeck makes the conscious decision to suggest socialism as a solution. He carefully addresses only the superior aspects of socialism without directly insulting capitalism. By doing this he preaches his beliefs without being subject to oppression of his novel.
Annotated Bibliography
Bluestone, George. ?The Grapes of Wrath.? Davis, Steinbeck. 102-22. This is a comprehensive review of both the book and the film ?The Grapes of Wrath,? it compares both of the versions. This essay also explains Steinbeck?s sociological and political beliefs. It also discusses the meaning of Ma and Rose of Sharon.
Davis, Robert Murray, Ed. Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1972. A collection of essays by multiple authors about Steinbeck?s major works.
?The FBI Reportedly Kept Files on Prominent U.S. Authors.? Seattle Times. 30 Sep. 1987: A1+. UMI. ProQuest Direct. 2 Jan. 2001. Keyword: Steinbeck, FBI. The FBI has kept file on numerous American authors in the past 80 years. These authors, mainly suspected of communism include Steinbeck, Faulkner, Wilder and Hemingway. Some of these files are available from the FBI.
Rev. of John Steinbeck: Novels and Stories 1932-1937. Ed. by Robert DeMott. The Christian Century. 112.22.723. (1995). UMI ProQuest Direct. 7 Jan. 2001. Keyword: Steinbeck, communism.
Levant, Howard. The Novels of John Steinbeck: A Critical Study. Columbia: U of Missouri P, 1974. 93-129. Analyzes Steinbeck major novels, including ?The Grapes of Wrath.? He addresses the social, economical, and political aspects of ?Grapes.?
Lisca, Peter. ?The Grapes of Wrath.? Davis, Steinbeck. 75-101. Focusing mainly on the symbolism in the novel, Lisca explores Steinbeck?s religious beliefs and how he portrays them in ?The Grapes of Wrath.? The author divides his characters and settings based on the scriptures of the bible.
?John (Ernst) Steinbeck: 1902-1968.? Gale Literary Database. 3 Nov. 1997. Gale Group. Gale Net. 6 Jan. 2001. Keywords: Steinbeck. Covers Steinbeck?s works, general history and relations.
Parini, Jay. John Steinbeck: A Biography. New York: Holt, 1995. 236. Reviews Steinbeck?s life and writings. Includes information on his three wives and his few well-known friends. There are also exerts from personal journals and letters.
Simon, Stephanie. ?Steinbeck Museum: Honor or Affront to the Writer?s Ideals.? Seattle Times. 31 Mar. 1997: A5+. UMI ProQuest Direct. 29 Jan. 2000. Keyword: Steinbeck, communism. In 1997 Salinas, California opened a museum in honor of locally born John Steinbeck. Many locals are angry with Steinbeck because of his portrayal of locals in many of his novels.
Snell, George. ?John Steinbeck: Realistic Whimsy.? The Shapers of American Fiction: 1798-1947. 2nd ed. New York: Noble Offset, 1947. 187-97. Argues Steinbeck legitimacy as an author in the eyes of America. Opposes numerous attacks on Steinbeck stating he is a poor writer based on purposeful style choices. He also addresses similarities in Steinbeck?s major works including political and social beliefs.
Steinbeck, John. ?1932-1936.? Steinbeck: A Life in Letters. Ed. Elaine Steinbeck and Robert Wallsten. New York: Viking, 1975. 57-126. This collection covers many of Steinbeck?s personal and professional correspondences throughout his career.
---. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 1992. 619. The classic novel about an Oklahoma family forced to move to California during the 1930?s. They have to face both nature and man to survive in this cruel world. This novel is one of the most debated books in recent history.
---. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. 107. One of Steinbeck?s shorter works it is often considered one of his better pieces. It tells the story of Lenny and George two complete opposites who work together in order to survive. George is forced to make a decision that will effect both his life and Lenny?s forever.
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Freedom of Information Act: John Steinbeck. 29 Dec. 2000
