Verified Document

Isolation Is A Key Theme Term Paper

Isolation is a key theme running through Steinbeck's novel Grapes of Wrath. From the social stigma of being labeled an "Oakie" to the government-run labor camps, the Joads experience nothing but isolation from the rest of society. Tom Joad experienced isolation dramatically while he was in prison, and being ostracized haunts Tom throughout his life. When the Joads arrive in California, far from being embraced into the workforce, they are treated with scorn and mistrust for wanting to steal jobs from other workers. However, all the workers in the camps are isolated from society. As the lowest rungs of the social ladder, the poor migrant workers fail to find much true solace and friendship in each other.

Partly in order to overcome social and political isolation, some of the migrant workers like Jim Casy organize labor unions. The creation of unions is promoted as a positive alternative to current conditions. However, the unions perpetuate the deep rift between employer and employee. Reasons for the isolation of employer and employee focus on class conflict, on the need for the employer to maintain at least the illusion of social superiority. The isolation of the employee can, however, serve the needs of the worker because only through unions can laborers unite together in their common cause of obtaining just wages and working conditions.

The government camps play into the social stratification and systematic isolation of migrant workers, even if they were designed to help people. The Joads are only one example of a family being isolated from the community and from the outside work, forced to work for meager earnings and in poor conditions. Steinbeck depicts the camps as being prison-like, the camps' residents as being bereft of any political or economic power. Their disenfranchisement causes characters like Tom Joad to come into unfortunate and fatal conflict with authorities. The result is a cycle of isolation and tragedy.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Key Themes From Short Stories
Words: 1543 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Feathers" what's so special about the night the narrator describes? Why did everything change afterwards? The change that starts with at the end of the story is the request from Fran to have a baby. Jack obliges and they end up having a kid. It would seem that Fran made this request as a way to seek better feelings or perhaps a sense of something different as a result. While

Mrs. Dalloway: Emotional Themes Virginia
Words: 2288 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

" Both Clarissa and Septimus think about the same quotes. "Fear no more the heat o' the sun / Nor the furious winter rages." This phrase first comes to Clarissa's mind when she sees it in a book. It "appears twice before it becomes a part of Septimus's thought, where it ironically reassures him just before his death." Clarissa and Septimus are both sensitive individuals with deep emotional issues. While Clarissa

Isolation African-American Civil Rights Historically,
Words: 2517 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Board of Education of Topeka. This case represented a watershed for Civil Rights and helped to signal an end to segregation because it determined that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" (Warren, 1954). It is essential to note that federal support on this particular issue was only earned after African-Americans decided to use the legislative system to their advantage by taking the segregationist school system of Topeka, Kansas to

Malcolm X Themes Present in
Words: 3392 Length: 12 Document Type: Term Paper

..I never will forget how shocked I was when I began reading about slavery's total horror. It made such an impact upon me that it later became one of my favorite subjects when I became a minister of Mr. Muhammad's. The world's most monstrous crime, the sin and the blood on the white man's hands, are almost impossible to believe." (Malcolm X, p. 1) It was upon these revelations that Malcolm

Native Americans Transition From Freedom to Isolation
Words: 2805 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

Native Americans Transition From Freedom to Isolation America's history since 1865 to date is a remarkable record of various accounts of despair, hope, triumph, and tragedy. The country's history consists of some compelling transformations with one of these significant accounts being the battle between Americans and Americans in the final period of the Civil War. In its initial years, the United States was politically isolated from the rest of the world

Space to Fill in Key Points Under
Words: 1954 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

space to fill in key points under each heading. You should fill in 1-2 sentences in the lines provided in red to summarize main points in each section where space is provided. When you complete the study guide, submit it through the unit's study guide dropbox. Each study guide is worth 10 points. Reading 1: Stages of Literacy Development Reading Readiness/Pre-Reading (Birth -- age 6) Initial Reading (Age 6-7, Grades 1-2) Fluency (Age

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now