0.+Thesis

An individual judges right from wrong by first applying their personal morals to the situation at hand. An individual's duty is to confront or attempt to confront injustice immediately, when it is noticed. Personal gain and whether the consequences outweigh the benefits are major factors which influence the actual confrontation of the injustice. As Steinbeck shows in //The Grapes of Wrath,// and further explores in chapter twenty-nine, individuals are more likely to confront injustice when it affects themselves as well as others. The land owners know that it is wrong for human beings to be in the conditions that the migrants are in, but they do nothing to confront this injustice because it won't benefit them and possibly could even hinder their personal success. The migrants are faced with the consequences of the flood, and the men confront the resulting injustices of no food or work by collaborating with each other in order to survive. The migrants "built dikes around the tents" and attempt to fight against nature, despite the severity of the storm. The migrants also confront the injustice by seeking help from known resources like "relief offices...[but] they came sadly back to their own people." The way that the migrants confront the oppression given by the wealthy land owners is that they do not give up and keep fighting together to survive.
 * THESIS **

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What could the land owners have done to confront the injustice facing the migrant families? 2. Did the migrants use the resources available to them sufficiently?