The Grapes of Wrath

"Twenty families became one family." - Quote from Chapter 20
The quote above is what I believe to be the most important quote of the novel, because, to me, it clearly states the theme of the novel. I believe that in the Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck was not only giving an insight into one families adventure to California, but also, an insight into humanities' ability to either live or die in a time of hardships. In this case, society comes together and not only lives, but thrives, showing the theme that in a time of hardships, society can and will come together, like a family and thrive.
One character, in the Grapes of Wrath, that I believe clearly shows their knowledge that families must stick together to keep going on/ living, is Ma. Throughout the novel Ma proves to be the stable piece of the family, and the one who must keep the family strong, even when she is not feeling very strong herself. When Noah decides to go off on his own, Ma says " this family is falling apart" because she understands that the family get not thrive, let alone live, if there is not enough support. Because of all of the losses the Joads' face on the way to California, Ma realizes that allowing the Wilson's to tag along with them would be very helpful to keep the family strong, and to allow them to thrive. Because of these characteristics, I believe Ma is one of the most important ways the theme is expressed in the novel.
Another character who I believe grows the most to achieve the characteristics of Ma is Rose of Sharon. At the beginning of the novel Rose doesn't show many qualities that prove to be helpful to her family, other than her deep love and care for her baby. Throughout the novel Rose is put in situations where she must learn to let others take care of her, and allow herself to take care of others, because she begins to understand that to keep her baby strong, she must be strong, and for her to be strong, her family must be strong. In the end when Rose suckles the starving man, I believe she has realized that if she " comes together" she and others will be able to thrive.
Throughout the novel I think the one place that symbolizes the theme of the book is Weedpatch Camp. When the Joads arrive at this camp, they are astonished by how nice it is compared with the other camps they've stayed at. The reason this camp is so nice is because the camp is not a group of families, but instead one big family. Everyone at the camp helps eachother allowing the camp and the campers to thrive. This is what I believe is the true meaning of The Grapes of Wrath, and what I believeto be the reason that this novel is a classic, time after time.

Huckleberry Finn Blog

My first impression of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that I knew it was going to be boring because last summer I'd read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which I thought was boring. The book did live up to my expectations and didn't keep me interested 99.9% of the time, but it did reinforce a very important message to me, and maybe the other readers as well. The message I got, and what I've come to believe as the theme of the book is that you can't judge a book by it's cover.
I know this expression is way overused but there are many times during this story that shows how important it is to judge a person by who they are rather than what they look like. One example where Huck judges someone by their inside is when he says that Jim is "white on the inside" because Jim shows worry for Tom after he gets shot. Although that is a pretty racist comment, I believe that Huck meant that Jim is good on the inside. The reason he used "white" instead of "good" is because society has taught him to believe that white is good and black is bad. Had Huck judged Jim on the color of his skin and the rules of society, Jim would have never been freed.
Another example of the theme being portrayed in the story is when Tom enters the book and shows how much more mature and good Huck is than him, and other boys of their age. Most people, during that time period, would most likely believe that because Tom's family is wealthy, or at least well off, he would have been raised better and would be a better kid, and that because Huck is poor, he would be a bad kid. This proves to be untrue and again, conveys the theme that you can't judge a book by it's cover. This may sound cheesy or over thought but I truly believe( even if I didn't like the book) that this was the message Mark Twain intended for the book.(And based on the message at the beginning of the book, I don't think he really cares whether I liked the book or not.)