One of the major themes in this chapter and throughout the book is the inhumanity of man towards man. At the beginning of the book, it was men that kicked the families off their farms. Service station owners were rude to the families and often tried to cheat them of their money. Along the road, people were rude to them, and the camps were not always the nicest. When they were along the borders of Arizona and California, the cops or policemen were very rude treating the people like dogs. Also, when the Joad's family stopped at a service station in California, the boys there treated them like they were inferior and too dumb for the state of California. "'Well, you and me got sense. They ain't human. A human being wouldn't live like they do. A human being couldn't stand it to be so dirty and miserable. They ain't a hell of a lot better than gorillas.' 'They're so...dumb they don't know any better than what they got.'"
This portrayal in the book shows John Steinbeck's idea of a dark human nature. His view of human nature as a dark hole of people preying on people, only trying to get ahead of the other by pushing each other down. Steinbeck's view of human nature is also closely tied to discrimination. Without really knowing the Joad's, the service boys talk of the Joad's as dumb people, dumb as gorillas.
However, even with this discrimination, the Joad's prevail strongly through the desert and into California. Their inner strength is undeniable when one reads about Ma's actions. Granma was sick and was quickly dying. Ma stuck with her until she died, but Ma did not tell anyone. She kept this secret as the guards checked the Joad's vehicle. She said they had no time, for Granma needed to see a doctor as soon as possible. The guards let them through to California, and then Ma told the rest of the family the truth. They greatly respected her for her courage, and they prepared to give Granma a proper burial. Thus, again, the family is depressed and sorrowful.
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