Human Nature in "The Grapes of Wrath"

John Steinbeck understood a lot about human nature, and he shows it in his writing in The Grapes of Wrath. He understood that fear can easily be planted in the hearts on people that do not know what is happening, and he understood that once planted, fear spreads quickly to the rest of one's family, to the town, county, state, nation, and world. People will be afraid of just about anything if it is portrayed correctly, or if it is unknown. Ignorance leads to fear, because most people are afraid of the unknown. People are afraid of what will happen to them, especially in uncertain times. Steinbeck understood that people are willing to do a lot to stand up for what they believe in, and for who they care about. If people see something that is unjust or unfair, they are often willing to stand up for the just side of things. For instance, if people are being bullied by others that are higher up on the ladder of life, the peers of the people being bullied are oftentimes willing to stand up for that person. They are willing to stand up for that person because they realize that they would want others to stand up for them if it would happen to them. They are also willing to do a lot for the people they care about, because that is wired into human nature. People want to protect the ones they love, because they do not want to be without those people. They will steal to get food for their women and children, they will beg to get supplies so that they can move on, and they will take the blame for others to protect them. They will take the blame for things to keep people from going to jail, like Casy did for Tom in The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck understood quite a bit about human nature, and he let the world know through his book The Grapes of Wrath.