John Steinbeck, the author of The Grapes of Wrath understands much of human nature. Throughout the entire novel, he shows human nature. He shows the characters battling against their own human nature to do things to help others and do what they know they need to do even when they do not want to or if it is not in their nature to do.
One point of human nature that Steinbeck really hits on is our need for others. We were not created to go about life by ourselves. Steinbeck understands the yearning and the need for fellowship with others. Being with others is how we learn more about ourselves, others, and how learn skills and other things that are important in life. Through this entire book, Steinbeck shows people helping each other through the hard times.
It is often such a great thing to have others that can identify with a struggle that you are having to go through, and in this book the majority of the country is struggling together, and it makes it so much more manageable and comforting for the Joads to have others to do life with and identify with their problems and encourage each other.
In one scene, Ma says, "Learnin' it all a time, ever' day. If you're in trouble or hurt or need-go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help-the only ones."
It seems sad that the people who have enough money to help do not help, and the people that are starving help each other. But that just goes to show that they help because they can identify with the people they help and are doing onto others as they would want done to themselves.
An example of the Joads need for others is that they bonded so quickly with Ivy and Sairy Wilson. All it took was one night together, and the Joads asked the Wilson's to be their travel companions, and the Wilson's accepted. That just shows that fellowship with others is a basic need.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.
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