Jack states that whenever people are afraid for their own circumstances, those in power shift the blame to the easiest target: outsiders. During the Great Depression, Californians worried about losing their jobs and homes, so the wealthy elite began to blame undocumented Mexican immigrants for allegedly draining state resources. Although this wasn’t true, people believed the propaganda, and the Mexican immigrants upon whom the agricultural industry had long relied were deported. The same sort of prejudice is leveled at the Great Plains migrants who arrive in California looking to escape the ravages of the Dust Bowl. Rather than being viewed as fellow American citizens, the so-called Okies are looked down upon as invaders. This is demoralizing and disheartening for the migrants, who view themselves as proud Americans, ready and willing to work. Furthermore, the negative stereotypes about “Okies” bar them from pursuing opportunities for employment and housing, trapping them in the cycle of seasonal agricultural labor and serving the interests of the wealthy crop growers. 

Prejudice is dehumanizing, as it denies the common humanity of those toward whom it is directed. It is this dehumanization that paves the way for labor exploitation, violence, and other injustices. Even children have been taught to look down on the migrants, as evidenced by Loreda and Ant’s experiences at school. This ensures that no one will come to the defence of the workers, even as it is revealed that they are being underpaid or abused. Indeed, despite Jack’s best efforts, the attendees at the Welty town hall meeting throw him out, content to blame the migrant workers for all of the socioeconomic ills facing California.

Family is depicted as a source of both hurt and comfort, capable of building a person up or tearing them down. Elsa’s birth family keeps her isolated and repressed, convinced that she is too ugly to marry and too sickly to venture out on her own. In this environment, Elsa is meek and submissive, rarely speaking up for herself. On the rare occasion that she does so, she is met with anger, spite, and scorn, discouraging further attempts at independence. 

When Elsa moves in with the Martinellis, she discovers what a family’s love can truly be like: Tony and Rose come to view Elsa as their own daughter, and they teach her to be strong, capable, and independent. Rose becomes Elsa’s constant companion, and Elsa turns to the older woman for help and advice. Nurtured by a caring family, Elsa grows as a person, finding within herself a “nearly limitless capacity for love.” However, the insecurities instilled in her by her birth family never truly leave her, indicating how a lack of love can do lasting damage. Many of these insecurities are reawakened and exacerbated by Loreda, who Elsa worries has found her “deficient” in the same way that her birth family did. 

Elsa discovers the true importance of love in the days prior to her death, writing in her journal that “love is what remains when everything else is gone.” Having reconciled with Loreda and fallen in love with Jack, Elsa realizes that she is surrounded by love, both familial and romantic. For the first time in her life, she realizes that the love she has for others is fully reciprocated, and this gives her the courage to take over the microphone and inspire the strikers. Even though this moment of courage costs Elsa her life, she dies surrounded by her loved ones, happy and proud of the futures they have ahead of them. Years later, as Loreda leaves for college, she promises to...