The Grapes of Wrath question 6

6. I think we still read this book because it gives us a different perspective on the Great Depression. Usually when we hear about the Great Depression, we are reading about it from our history books. When we read about the Depression it usually is just facts and numbers. We do not hear individual stories about people and their struggles. Many times we do not really understand the real impact the Depression had on people. This novel however helps us to realize the true effects of the Great Depression. When I read this book I empathize with the Joad family. The way Steinbeck writes, I almost feel the weight of their struggles myself. It was easy to empathize with Tom because we have all been in trouble at one point in our lives, and we were afraid and hid from our parents or elders. I think it is safe to say that we have not been in the same trouble Tom has. It is timeless because we could have another depression at anytime. And even with all the protective laws we have, we could still end up like the Joad family. The Grapes of Wrath made me think about how I would react in that situation. It forces us to think and remember that anything could happen. We have to remember the people who struggled before us to make this great country. We have to understand the sacrifices people made so that we may live in freedom. I think that we can learn that we can never give up hope. The Joad family knew that if they were going to survive they would have to keep pressing on. We can not wallow in our grief and sadness. If we did that we would never get anything done. We have to stay determined; I think one of the main things we the author wanted us to take away from this is that we can not give up hope.