In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck shows the desperate, dry conditions that the American farm families experienced during the late 1920's and early 1930's. Steinbeck is pleading, in general, for an end to man's inhumanity towards his fellow man. Specifically, he calls for a more humane treatment of the migrant worker; the farm owners are treating the migrants like animals. Through his portrayal of the migrant worker, Steinbeck shows that humans are no better than animals themselves.

Throughout the novel, Steinbeck compares the human race to the animal race by using animal imagery to show that humans are equally as bad as animals because they fight over shelter and food and land, instead of making reasonable compromises. He states that animals are actually better than humans and are even worth more. Steinbeck says that "horses is a hell of a lot more worth than men," (489) showing that...