Reading the Work- Grapes of Wrath #5
For context, this quote is spoken by Casy, a friend of the Joads who traveled with them to California. He used to be a preacher and then stopped, because his personal views changed. Anyway, they were talking about a rich guy who owned hundreds of acres that could be turned into farming land and supply work to a ton of people, but instead is just sitting there unused.
“If he needs a million acres to make him feel rich, seems to me he needs it ‘cause he feels awful poor inside hisself, and if he’s poor in hisself, there ain’t no million acres gonna make him feel rich, an’ maybe he’s disappointed that nothin’ he can do’ll make him feel rich-- not rich like Mis’ Wilson was when she give her tent when Grampa died. I ain’t tryin’ to preach no sermon, but I never seen nobody that’s busy as a prairie dog collectin’ stuff that wasn’t disappointed” (pg 207).
There’s another quote that I’ve heard a couple different versions of, and I have no idea who it comes from. It’s “Too many people spend money they earned...to buy things they don't want...to impress people that they don't like.” I think these two quotes connect really well. Basically, people always feel they have to prove themselves, and they think the best way to do that is to make a lot of money and spend it on “trophy” items. So (most) of those people spend countless hours working away, missing out on real life moments, to make this money because they think it’ll make them gain the respect of their peers or feel powerful. “Mis’ Wilson” was a character that the Joad’s met on the road. I think she was one of the first people the Joad’s saw camping on the side of the highway. Grampa Joad was super sick, and Mis’ Wilson let him sleep in her tent. She didn’t have many possessions, and certainly no one ever said she had to share her tent, but out of the kindness of her heart she did. That is what Steinbeck is saying makes a person feel rich.















