Chapters 11-15 (D)

In chapter 15, an instance of kindness towards others is shown. A worker named Mae shows her generosity towards a farmer when the farmer has little money to buy food. At first, she was a bit reluctant to sell the bread for a lower price, but in the end, she decided to help out the farmer. Furthermore, she sold two pieces of candy to the farmer for a penny. When the farmer asks Mae if the candy is worth a penny, Mae responds, "Oh-them. Well, no-them's two for a penny". (160) Her unselfishness to help out a farmer who is having obstacles in going to California, shows how kindness in helping others can  lead society to help each other to live through harsh times. The idea of helping others is further proven to lead to good things when the truck drivers leave a big change to Mae in the end. The truck drivers saw how Mae had sold two pieces of candy for a penny, when the candy originally was supposed to cost five cents each. Thus, in return for helping the farmers who were in need, good karma came to Mae. These acts of kindness emphasize the idea of helping each other.

This quote impacted me because unselfishness can help everyone in society who is struggling, go through harsh and unhappy times. By helping each other, everyone can thrive in society. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make a difference that you have lived and lived well". Every person should have a duty in helping others. Helping another not only helps the person who got help, to be happy, but in addition, makes the person who helped, feel good in that he or she has made a difference in helping someone. In other words, helping one another rewards both sides since they get the reward of happiness knowing that they have helped each other.