4.+Injustice

 **ANALYSIS AND INJUSTICE** Steinbeck's main purpose is furthered as the flood directly and indirectly presents many injustices and wrongs within society. The plight of the migrant workers is emphasized as the unfair conditions are made a reality to the reader with Steinbeck's use of imagery, comparisons and symbolism. Chapter twenty-nine itself can be interpreted as an allegory when one delves deeper into Steinbeck's intended meaning for the flood.

First and foremost, the flood can be seen as a mere act of nature. "And at first the dry earth sucked the moisture down...for two days the earth drank the rain, until the earth was full. Then puddles formed..." (589) The flood literally makes the land richer until the earth has too much, causing the flood.

It can be interpreted that the rain and subsequent flood represent the lives of the greedy land owners in California. The rain is first described as "steady" and once it overreaches its welcome it is described as "muddy water." (589-90) The land owners at first receive wealth and power and they thrive. After there are fewer and fewer owners with more land and money, social conditions go down hill as uprisings begin and relationships with workers worsen. Steinbeck's change in tone can also be seen as a reflection of the change in attitude towards the "Okies" in this chapter.

Steinbeck touches upon saddening issues in this chapter relating to the social divisions in this time period. The "comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people," during the time of the flood. (592) The injustice of the situation is that the wealthy people didn't even feel any sympathy towards the migrant people. The land owners regard the migrants as less than animals as they keep their horses and would never "turn 'em out to starve" if there was no work. Steinbeck's main point is that the land owners had a civic duty to fight the injustice that was going on in society and they failed to do so. Even worse, the actual government added fuel to the fire as they require the migrants to be in California "a year before [they] can [get] relief." (590) "The sheriffs swore in new deputies and ordered new rifles..." in response to the worsening conditions of the migrants. (591) Instead of confronting the injustice, the wealthy land owners prepared for an uprising.

Another way the flood can be interpreted is as the relationship between the workers and the wealthy land owners. The land owners sent out the "han'bills" advertising the need for workers in California. The workers can be seen as rain, and when they come, they all come in a "flood." As the people keep coming, the land owners get richer because they have an easier time giving lesser wages. The land gets richer in the flood from the rain, as do the land owners in the flood of people. Meanwhile, the workers experience injustice and detrimental problems despite the prosperity of the land owners. The flood caused horrible damage to the people, "cars wouldn't start" and worst of all it prevented any work opportunities.

Lastly, Steinbeck portrays what little hope the migrant families possess as not being afraid. "...the women sighed with relief, for they knew it was all right-- the break had not come; and the break would never come as long as fear could turn to wrath." (592) The "break," which is also referred to in chapter one of this novel, that the women are afraid of is the men giving up because they are the leaders of the family, which hold everyone together enough to go on living. Just as in chapter one when the women feel "that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole," chapter twenty-nine furthers that idea but also depicts how wrong it is that the migrant people have to settle for anger because there is nothing worse than fear; there is nothing worse than giving up. Steinbeck emphasizes the importance of the family unit by including the "break." The greatest injustice of all is that the migrant people are living in fear of their own people, Americans.