The Grapes of Wrath

February 13th, 2008 La Encantada, Peru

The Grapes of Wrath

Due to the rather laidback lifestyle, many Peace Corps volunteers read more books during their service then most people read over a decade. Or in the case of a small town like mine, the sum of all the books read by the population of 3,000. I have read several good books, each which has influenced my outlook or perspective on various topics.

Several books have been enjoyable reads, but The Grapes of Wrath and The Mystery of Capital have by far had the most profound impact on my worldview. Anyone who desires to understand why underdeveloped countries struggle to catch up with their Western neighbors should read the Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto. The Peruvian author offers several insights into why capitalism doesn´t flourish in certain areas.

The Grapes of Wrath has also provided insight. Although not an academic publication, this novel about a farming family from Oklahoma during the Great Depression has offered an unique perspective into the lives of the extremely poor. Over the last year and a half I always had this hunch that the poor of the Great Depression handled their poverty differently than the people with whom I have spent the last year. This book as well as a couple conversations with my roommate from college, a current volunteer in Uganda, have confirmed that different people groups react to poverty in drastically different ways.

The thing that bothers me most about Peru is the complete lack of class. This can be observed several times throughout a typical day. From the pushing that takes place in the bus line to the petty theft that occurs everywhere, the total lack of class is obscenely ingrained in the society. I am told that in Uganda and other parts of Africa, there is rarely any petty theft because it is totally untolerated by the people. If someone legitimately screams “Thief”, the apparent convicted will surely be beaten by a gang of fellow strangers in the street. In Peru, don´t waste your time because even if you are chasing the thief, the general population will buy popcorn and watch.

Throughout the Grapes of Wrath I noticed that the people continually conducted themselves with class in all situations. I understand that it is a fictional novel, but I am every bit convinced that it is an accurate recollection of the times. There are some similarities between the two epochs, such as the fact that at times “the system” can be quite screwed up. Also when there was no work, the characters fled to the golden country of California much like the people of rural areas here flee to Lima. However, I also noticed a stark difference in the way the characters overcame their situation.

I find very few people here who have a vision. Some dream but few ponder what they need to do in order to make their dreams reality. The Joads were always sharing their dreams and how they planned to implement changes in order to realize their desires. More and more I am of the opinion that the States is an incubator for dreamers. Several people criticized my major claiming, “You can´t teach entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are born.” Although I agree that certain persons are born with innate personality characteristics that make them more likely achieve success as entrepreneurs, I disagree that entrepreneurship is not something that can be fostered and encouraged by culture.
And in defense of the Baylor University Entrepreneurship Department, the point of the program is to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the tools they will need to survive in such a risky atmosphere, not to make entrepreneurs out of nothing. In order to succeed as an entrepreneur, you need the entrepreneurial spirit within your soul. The spirit can´t be attained from a text book, but can be found by surrounding oneself with likeminded thinkers.