amps [and] Rochelle supplied her with some food” (Kotlowitz 101). Her family and friends “were not much better off than she”; they sacrificed to provide enough for her family’s survival (Kotlowitz 101). Even though poverty was ubiquitous, the selfless generosity of people in these two eras prevails. In the midst of deprivation, families and neighbors adhered to the humanist concept of sharing as a means for common survival. The benevolence of one individual can also impact the well being of an entire society. Out of goodness, Craig Davis would dee-jay miniature dance parties on the porch of the Horner complex that gave the residents “some of the most spontaneous and spirited fun they had ever had at Horner” (Kotlowitz 123). He alone provided enjoyment to the people’s bleak lives. Rose of Sharon, after enduring the migration from home, the flight of her husband, and the death of her unborn child, puts aside these woes and unabashedly offers a famished man the milk from her breast. Despite her previous modesty and overwhelming troubles, Rose gives part of herself to save another. The authors include scenes that show selflessness and the characters’ concern for the common good, key aspects of ideal socialism, to show that in the flaws of capitalism, desperate people open their hearts to socialist tendencies.The use of innocent people as victims of cold capitalism and unknowing promoters of the principles of socialism proves effective in both novels. Neither Steinbeck nor Kotlowitz directly oppose capitalism and advocate socialism in their tales, but rather discretely present the two ideals to influence the reader’s thoughts about each system. Both authors are aware that not all readers will agree with malign towards capitalism. Steinbeck even displays little Ruthie’s love of personal property: when she was instructed to share the “geranium gone wild” with he...
