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 * The Grapes of Wrath: Synthesis Essay**

Individuals have a moral and human obligation to confront injustice in their daily lives. To define an injustice an individual must first figure out what they believe to be right and wrong. Persons judge right from wrong from the morals and ethics they induce from their parents and society. Although in dire situations of survival one is sometimes forced to abandon these morals in order to survive. Sometimes one is incapable of recognizing an injustice or confronting it, which makes it pertinent that one must assist those that are inept. Occasionally one can determine an injustice but the injustice is too widespread to attack alone, which is where a higher power in society should intercede. John Steinbeck demonstrated this throughout his novel //The Grapes of Wrath//.

Based on the severity of the situation people use different techniques to establish what they believe to be right and what action to take due to their beliefs. The women in //The Grapes of Wrath//, picked up what they believed to be right from their society, “And the women went quickly, quietly back into the houses and herded the children ahead of them” (Pg. 34 Ch.5). The women based their principles on what they had gathered from society. Their home based way of thinking was the direct result of the society’s influence on their idea of what was right. Sometimes one is forced to abandon their morals in a life-threatening situation, “ Then the hungry men crowded the alleys behind the stoves to beg for bread, to cringe and to beg for rotten vegetables, to steal when they could.” (Pg. 434 Ch. 29) These men tried to uphold their ethics but were forced to use their survival skills when placed in a life or death scenario. This notion of survival skills taking over in place of morals is demonstrated in “ On Dumpster Diving”, “ At first the scavenger is filled with disgust and self loathing.” (Lars Eighner) The scavenger is disgusted in himself for living out of dumpsters because that behavior was not the morals that his parents or society had instilled in him. Like the poor men of //The Grapes of Wrath// this homeless man is disgusted in himself for having to sway away from the morals society and his parents instilled in him but is forced to do so to survive. Individuals use their morals to help them reach the decision of what is right unless absolutely forced to do otherwise.

Once an individual has developed their own idea of what is right it is their duty to use that knowledge to acknowledge and confront injustices and to help incapable beings in confronting injustices presented to them. The car salesmen in //The Grapes of Wrath// repeatedly bestowed injustices upon the citizens,” Salesmen, neat, deadly, small intent eyes watching for weaknesses.” (Pg. 61 Ch.7) The car salesmen’s cruelty was an injustice brought about on the farmers attempting to buy a car essentially to find salvation. The farmers who recognized the injustice had an obligation to stand up to the salesman in order to not only protect themselves but others. In Anna Quindlen’s “Homeless” this point is also brought up,” But in the main I think we work around it when it is lying on the sidewalk or sitting on the bus terminal.” Confronting the problem of homelessness is a huge undertaking but every individual has some sort of obligation to helping out the less fortunate. Everyone is a part of mankind and therefore everyone has to look out for one another because there might come a time when one is not able to recognize or confront their own injustice. One’s obligation is to confront injustices thrust upon them and to help others confront their injustices when they are incapable.

When a certain injustice comes to a point when an individual or group of individuals can no longer confront it alone it is necessary that a higher power intervene. In //The Grapes of Wrath// people were constantly battling a cause that was way over their heads, “Frantic men pounded on the doors of doctors, and the doctors did not come.” (Ch.25 Pg. 348) There was nothing an individual could have done at that point to make there be more doctors or money to pay for their medical needs. When the basic needs of citizens are not being met, such as healthcare, the government needs to step in. Sometimes one group can gain too much power and begin to commit injustices on individuals, “It happens everyman in a bank hates what the bank does, and yet the bank does it.” (Pg. 33 Ch. 11) Even though the individuals did not agree with the banks ways there was nothing that they could do at that point, because the bank had gained too much power to be overthrown by individuals. At this point it is the duty of the higher power to overthrow or straighten out the injustices of the group. Homelessness in today’s society also represents a situation where government needs assist the people, “Even if the economy were booming, jobs were plentiful and affordable, housing abundant, those unfortunates probably would still be out on the streets.” (Joseph Perkins Homeless: Expose the Myths) Even though there is something individuals can do to help the homeless, they cannot do as much on a large scale. The government should set up programs for the homeless that are mentally ill and addicts then individuals can do their civic duties by assisting in the facilities.

An individual has a moral obligation to use their sense of what is right to confront injustice thrust upon themselves and others. Higher powers such as the government also have obligations to help defeat big injustices that individuals cannot conquer alone. Everyone is a member of society therefore making it essential that every individual contribute to society by confronting injustices.