Duncan1

BryceDuncan
Mr.Price
APEnglish,Period5
22September2015
ComparisonoftheCentury:Steinbeckvs.Thoreau
Theissueofhowgovernmentshouldfunctionhaslongbeendisputedallaroundthe
world.Inboth
TheGrapesofWrath
,byJohnSteinbeck,

andCivilDisobedience,byHenry
DavidThoreau,thisissueisdiscussed.Inchapterseventeenof
TheGrapesofWrath
,Steinbeck
discussesthebirthofcivilizationfromphysicalneedstogovernmentissues.InCivil
Disobedience,Thoreautalksaboutthefunctionofgovernment.Theirviewscollideinsome
aspectsandagreeinothers.Thedifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweentheseventeenthchapterof
The

GrapesofWrath
andCivilDisobediencearenotverypronounced,buttheycanbe
analyzedtofindtwodifferentviewsofgovernment.
Steinbeckcreateshisviewofgovernmentbydescribingthecongregationofmigrant
familiesduringtheDustBowl.Steinbeckillustrateshowfamiliescametogetheratnighttoform
largerfamilieswhenhewrites,Intheeveningastrangethinghappened:thetwentyfamilies
becameonefamily,thechildrenwerethechildrenofall(Steinbeck,193).Atnightthefamilies
unitedtocreatetheirowncommunities,Steinbecksays,sittingaboutfiresthetwentywereone.
Theygrewtobeunitsofcamps(Steinbeck,193).Theywerenolongersinglefamiliesbut
groups,sometraveledtogetherandstayedtogether.Communitiesbegantocreateagovernment,
Steinbeckwrote,Thenleadersemerged,thenlawsweremade,thecodescameintobeing
(Steinbeck,194).Thegroupsstartedtomaketheirownsocialcontract.Peopleacceptedthis

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silentcontractandthosewhodidntwerequicklycastoutfromgroups.Steinbeckwrites,There
grewupgovernmentintheworlds,withleaders,withelders.Amanwhowaswisefoundthathis
wisdomwasneededineverycamp(Steinbeck,195).Themigrantpeoplemadetheirown
governmentbecausetheydidnthaveone.Theybannedtogethertocreateorderinatimeof
chaos.Theydidallthistocreateasenseofnormalcyduringaveryabnormaltime.Steinbeck
showsthatgovernmentisneededtocreatenormalcyandorder.
Thoreaudiscusseshisviewofgovernmentbydescribingwhathethinkstheuseof
governmentisinCivilDisobedience.Thoreaubeginswithwriting,Thatgovernmentisbest
whichgovernsleast(CivilDisobedience).Thoreauhasseenthatgovernmenthastheabilityto
beabusedandperverted(CivilDisobedience),eventhoughthepeopleelectgovernment
officials.Humanerrormakesgovernmenthardtocontrolthereforeitshouldbekeptsmalland
madetogovernverylittle.Thoreauwrote,ithasnotthevitalityandforceofasingleliving
manforasinglemancanbendittohiswill(CivilDisobedience).Thoreaubelieveditwas
thementhemselvesthatcorruptedgovernment.Hesaidthatasinglemancouldmakedowhathe
wantedittodo.Inthatsameparagraphhecallsgovernmentawoodengunandsaysifmultiple
menuseitasarealgunitwillsplit.ThoreaumentionstheMexicanWarbywriting,Witnessthe
presentMexicanwar,theworkofcomparativelyafewindividualsusingthestanding
governmentastheirtoolfor,intheoutset,thepeoplewouldnothaveconsentedtothismeasure
(CivilDisobedience).HementionstheMexicanWarbecauseitistheperfectexampleofthe
governmentactingonitsown.Hebelievesthatgovernmentstandsinthewayofpeople.
Althoughthesetwodifferentviewsofgovernmentseemverycontradicting,therearea
fewsimilarities.Bothwritersbelievegovernmentisneeded,Steinbeckwrites,astheworlds

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movedwestward,rulesbecamelaws(pg194).Themigrantscreatedgovernmenttoestablisha
neededformofnormalcybecauseastheymovedtowardthewestthingsconstantlychangedfor
them.Thoreauwrote,Iaskfor,notatoncenogovernment,but
atonce
abettergovernment
(CivilDisobedience).Thoreaurealizedthatnogovernmentwouldneverworkbecausethere
wouldntbeanyorder.Hebelievedabettergovernmentisneededtomeettheneedsofthe
people.Thesetwoviewsaresimilarbecausetheybothsaidthatgovernmentisneeded.Another
similarityisthewaytheybelievegovernmentshouldbeoperated.Steinbeckillustratesthisby
thewaythemigrantsinchapterseventeenformtheirowngovernment.Themigrantscome
togetherandsilentlymakeasetofrulesorlawsthatneedtobefollowedtomaintainorder.
Thoreaudiscusseshisviewwhenhewrites,Leteverymanmakeknownwhatkindof
governmentwouldcommandhisrespect,andthatwillbeonesteptowardobtainingit
(CivilDisobedience).Theybothbelievedthatagovernmentspowercamefromthepeople
andthereforeshouldbecontrolledbythepeopledirectly.
Incomparingthetwoworks,manydifferencesandsimilaritiescometolight.Steinbeck
showedthatgovernmentisneededtocreateasenseofnormalcyandmaintainorderamong
people.Thoreaubelievedthatgovernmentstoodinthewayofthepeoplebecauseitlookedout
foritsowninterest.BothSteinbeckandThoreauagreedthatitwasneededtomaintainorder
though.Theyalsoagreedthatgovernmentshouldcomefromthepeopletomakeitsureitkeeps
theirbestinterestsinmind.