1987 AP Exam- Question 2

Advocating social change, Grapes of Wrath tells the tale of an Oklahoma family losing their farm in the Dust Bowl, having to pack everything up and losing loved ones on the way.  Through pathos and anecdotes, John Steinbeck tells the Joad's story.  The hard life they faced coming into California with no work is extremely realistic and makes you feel sympathy for the family.
Over the novel, Steinbeck writes a series of anecdotes that mimic some of the journey the Joads face themselves. The anecdote of the turtle crossing the barren road foreshadows the road ahead for them but also shows that life is hard but you have to keep going, just as the Joads did.  Facing "hoovervilles" and no money, people try rising up to protest their horrible conditions.  You could only feel sympathy for the Joads and everyone else struggling with the hard times that had fallen upon them; hoping there would be some type of justice for all of them by the end of the novel.
Steinbeck also uses pathos to advocate social change for people during the Depression.  Throughout the novel, they face a series of losses.  The greatest impact was loss of their grandmother and grandfather while they were on the journey to California.  That really showed how hard the journey was with crowded living conditions.  They lived in railroad cars with other families; feeding the little ones first.  The intended effect of all of this is to make you see how hard this life is and to feel bad for them.
Social change is hard to come by when you have an economy in shambles.  Grapes of Wrath advocated social change for the middle class during the Depression.  Steinbeck used pathos and anecdotes in order to show how bad life truly was during that era.