THE EXTENDED FAMILY: A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND HOPE In his books Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck captured the reality of the struggles that struck mankind in different forms and in various levels as he had observed during his lifetime. Steinbeck observed mainly Californians and migrants who had suffered from poverty and distress brought to them by the Depression and the Dust Bowl, the dust storm that brought drought to …showed first 75 words of 2453 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2453 total…evolution from people to group, because it was a tactic, not a fundamental change.” Although the process was difficult, for his characters to belong to a particular group was a necessity. For this reason, those who abide in the extended family found the hope and the strength such as in Grapes of Wrath, yet those who failed to partake in the extended family found only discouragement and despondency such as in Of Mice and Men.