People are mean.
I read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Uprooted from their Oklahoma home during the Dust Bowl, the Joad family joined thousands of other migrants seeking a better life in California. Hope drove them west. They discovered, not a land of promise and opportunity, but homelessness, unemployment, hunger, desperation, and wrath.
Solomon wrote, "... there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1: 9). Since Cain murdered his brother, Abel, man has demonstrated inhumanity against fellow man. Lying, cheating, and the undignified treatment towards men ignited wrath in the migrants' hearts.
Anger motivates people to action. And, that action can manifest itself positively or negatively. The migrants attempted to stand and unionize; however, their valiant stand brought them imprisonment, beatings, or even death.
The book's message is valuable and relevant to our generation. Injustice spawns contempt. Chaos, abuse, oppression, despair exist. But, Love's light shines in the darkness. Opportunities to extend kindness remain. What will we choose?
The novel's abrupt and unexpected conclusion impacted me. It required a self-check. We're all people, created by Almighty God, doing life together. Whether I am poor or broken, or weary will I muster all my strength to nourish a famished soul?
Lord, give me eyes to see. Help me love like Jesus.
What historical fiction novel impacted you? How?
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