Even though the books of Black Boy and Grapes of Wrath gave a vivid picture of the past American life to the readers regarding the socio-economic bigotry. Both books are similar in focusing the social and economic discrimination in the family setting. On Grapes of Wrath the California prejudice against the immigrants. Prejudice was a strong word, which leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. It is the prejudice against the migrant workers by the established financially Californians. Steinbeck provides four clear examples of prejudice; the man whose child ...view middle of the document...
His story was one of pain and despair. The evidence of cruelty and inhumane treatment which resulted from the California farmers prejudiced towards the migrant workers.With Wright's Black Boy, the prejudice was the racial issue, it is white taking advantage of the blacks. As an example, after Richard sees a "black" boy whipped by a "white" man, he asks his mother why did the incident happen. His mother says, "The white man did not whip the "black" boy...He beat the "black" boy," (31). This quote showed racism, which is one way of society keeping Richard Wright and all other blacks in the South down. Another example was at the railroad station with his mother, as they were waiting for the train, he saw something he never saw before, "....for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line," (55)This scenes was another form of racial discrimination.Another similarities was the Grapes of Wrath as a Communist Manifesto and at the time he wrote Black Boy, Wright was immersed in Marxist ideology and Communist party activities. The book was not a mere record of personal catastrophes, but a form of social protest intended to change the society he describes.
