America: It's always darkest before the first light of dawn “Everything seemed possible , probable, feasible, because I wanted everything to be possible” (Wright 72). Richard, the protagonist of Richard Wright's Black Boy, always thinks optimistically. Likewise, an air of faith and hope guides John Steinbeck's Joad family through their troubles on the way to California in his famous novel The Grapes of Wrath. The Wrights and the Joads strive to find meaning in adversity while struggling to find economic stability, survive, and seek hope in a hopeless situation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In both books, difficulties arise when trying to obtain a consistent income. Due to this long period without money, poverty devastates many lives. To temporarily escape the monster of poverty, Richard “decided to try to sell [his] dog Betsy and buy some food” (Wright 69). The fact that he was willing to sell "a man's best friend" for just a dollar shows his desperation for money. When the dog died a week later, Richard's mother, upset that her son had missed an opportunity to make money, reminded him: "You could have had a dollar." But you can't eat a dead dog, can you? (Wright 71). Richard is known among his friends for his inability to hold down a job, as his friend Griggs tells him, "You've been trying to hold down a job all summer, and you can't do it" (Wright 183). Similarly, poverty affects the Joads, as well as all migrants traveling west. They too are anxious, but every job opportunity has “five pairs of outstretched arms” (Steinbeck 238). The poverty seen in California is simply because there are few jobs for newcomers, "because wages have fallen and prices have risen." The big landowners were happy and sent out more prospectuses” (Steinbeck 283). Because wealthy farmers attract more potential workers than they can employ, migrants risk having their wages reduced or not working at all. In desperation, they turn to religion, because they “pray to God that one day not all good people will be poor.” Let us pray to God that one day a child will be able to eat” (Steinbeck 239). In the works of Steinbeck and Wright, characters are willing to take drastic measures to ensure they gain land and money. Through the struggle necessary to achieve these goals, they learn to be diligent workers who depend on each other in times of adversity. The economic quest for employment plays a key role in The Grapes of Wrath and Black Boy. As a young man, Richard constantly searches for work, “[inquiring] among students about jobs” (White 145). Along with the food supply, work is one of the most common uncertainties in Richard's life. Grandma had already hinted that it was time for me to strike out on my own. But what had I learned so far that would help me earn a living? Nothing" (Wright 164). Richard's grandmother slowly pushes him out of the house; however, he still does not understand the concept of living as a black man in the South. Even when he gets a job, southern whites put him in a losing position: “If I had said, No, sir, Mr. Pease, I never called you Pease, I would by inference have called Reynolds aliar ; and if I had said, Yes, sir, Mr. Pease, I called you Pease, I would have pleaded guilty to the worst insult a black man could offer..." (Wright 189). Likewise, the Joads focus solely on a job upon arriving in California because the family needs food. Luckily, Tom Joad meets some people at a government camp the first morning, and they invite him to work with them: "We're installing pipes. If you want to come with us, maybe we can find a place for you” (Steinbeck 291). When the Joads first arrive in California, they have “about forty dollars” (Steinbeck 230). , they start looking for work as soon as possible.replenish their funds However, “the workers hated the Okies because a hungry man has to work, and if he has to work…the payer automatically gives him less…and then no one. cannot get more” (Steinbeck 233). The natives fear the migrants because they work for less money and are determined to buy food. Richard and the Joad family are like planets orbiting the sun of job opportunities. Their incessant search for work rewards them with their vigilance, observance and the determination necessary to land a job at any time. Both Steinbeck and Wright place their characters in a harsh environment that requires courage and determination to survive. The Joads and Wrights suffer heartbreaking deaths and prolonged illnesses during their travels. During a prayer, Richard hears his grandmother declare that her “poor old husband is ill this fine morning” (Wright 138). Richard “[is] mortally afraid” of his grandfather (Wright 43), but he respectfully retracts his hostility as grandfather mutters his last words: “Rejoice, for God has chosen my sse…in-in the sky…” (Wright 141). Additionally, Richard is forced to work harder for the family when his mother succumbs to a series of crippling strokes. This sudden gain of responsibility places Richard in a difficult situation, which he describes as being “suddenly thrown emotionally upon myself” (Wright 86). Likewise, the Joads struggle with turmoil, as they lose two family members while fleeing the ruins of their Oklahoma farm. Granpa Joad, a quick-witted woman, falls ill shortly after leaving home. Casy believes that Grandpa “died the minute [they] took him out of there” because leaving detaches him from his land (Steinbeck 146). Soon, a “good quickie” takes hold of his soul, and the Joads face the rest of the journey without the honorary head of the family (Steinbeck 138). Granma cannot bear the news of her husband's death and falls into a state of shock. She remains bedridden for the rest of the trip, and Mama reveals that “Grandma died” upon arriving in California (Steinbeck 228). Both of these families avoid despair, even when they seem to be falling apart. Although the losses described in these books are tragic, grieving families learn to persevere. Because poverty triggers frustration and anger in people, the characters in Black Boy and The Grapes of Wrath fight to survive. In fact, Richard engages in the fight to be accepted by his classmates at every school he attends. Any boy who bumped into him, he “stayed in place” and “pushed back violently” (Wright 91). Although this is an ordinary schoolyard fight, people are killed innocently in other situations. Richard's Uncle Hoskins is "killed by whites who had long coveted his thriving liquor business" (Wright 54). As a result, the Joads are forced to deal with murder. Tommy.