Primal Instincts

"Western land barons relied on irrigation to accomplish the impossible and ignored or destroyed anyone or anything that interfered with their pursuit of that grail." Cassuto, David. "Turning wine into water: Water as privileged signifier in The Grapes of Wrath."    Papers on Language & Literature. 29:1 (1993) 67-95. Page 85

This quote really put this article into perspective for me.  The grail, being water, is all that the people wanted in The Grapes of Wrath. The drought was what made them have to move in the first place. It was all in search of water more than anything.

This quote made the idea interesting to me because it made me realize how barbaric people can act when faced with something that they all need. Humans by nature return to natural animal instincts when times are hard. As the quote said, they "destroyed anyone or anything that interfered" with the chance of claiming water rich land. Since resources were so scarce, it became every person for him or herself. Many lost the value of sharing and sticking together. Essentially, society unravels and becomes uncivilized.