Comparison of the Grapes of Wrath and the Power of One “Two heads are better than one,” it has always been said. But is another person always valuable, or can additional baggage prevent an individual from achieving their goals? Both sides can be argued effectively, and both can be true depending on the circumstances. Two historical novels, The Grapes of Wrath and The Power of One, show how two groups of characters took different paths to achieve their goals and how they fared along the way. In The Grapes of Wrath, The Joads, a family of penniless migrant workers, travel to California to look for work, relying on help from strangers along the way, while The Power of One tells the story by Peekay, a young South African. boy growing up alone in a hostile world determined to destroy his chances of success. The books present very different views on life, equally valid and compelling; While The Grapes of Wrath is a tale that focuses on the power that can be gained through numbers and the consequences of trying to survive alone, The Power of One is a testament to the things that one no one can accomplish when forced to depend and trust Him. in himself alone.The Joads, after being forced to leave their farm in Oklahoma, decide to pack up all their belongings and make the trip to California, where there is supposedly so much work that everyone can earn a living. But along the way, they quickly run into trouble. They have little money, an unreliable vehicle, a truck full of people to feed and miles to travel before reaching their destination. The Joads quickly discover something that becomes a major theme throughout the book: cooperating with others to achieve a common goal is sometimes necessary for survival...... middle of paper ......ss banished birds , their rocky nests transformed to river stones" (513;Ch. 24)Each of these novels, while powerful and influential in their own right, contrasts greatly with the other in terms of theme. The Joads of The Grapes of Wrath have had to rely on others to achieve their goal, while Peekay in The Power of One struggled to find his way in life completely alone. Although each book is very different from the other, each is a moving story. of life's obstacles and the tremendous human spirit, whether combined or individual, that it takes to overcome them.SourcesCourtenay, Bryce. New York: Random House, 1989Levant, Howard. Art: The Grapes of Wrath,” Modern Critical Views 35-62. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: books about penguins, 1978.