The Grapes of Wrath: Bonds to the EarthFor humans, the environment is vital. After spending several years in the same place, it is very human to become attached. This is especially true for farmers. They spend their lives learning about the land around them. The earth becomes their friend, having an almost human value. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck conveys the connection people have to their land, without which they feel they cannot survive mentally or physically. All human beings think of home as a place of comfort. Even though I've lived in different places, my home right now is where I feel like I belong. In The Grapes of Wrath, Oklahoma farmers feel they belong to the land and don't want to leave it. In response to Muley Graves' refusal to leave, Jim Casy says, "'A boy gets used to a place, it's hard to go there'" (65). Muley's refusal to leave shows that he is physically and emotionally attached to the land he farmed before his eviction. It is illegal for him to remain on the earth; however, he cannot bring himself to leave his home. The earth has become a part of him. Humans can also own their land. They believe the land belongs to them and they belong to it. Before the Joad family finishes packing, Grandpa decides he doesn't want to leave. He says, "'This country is no good, but it's my country. No, you all move on. I'll just stay here where I belong'" (143). The grandfather knows that it is better if he leaves, but he is tied to the earth and cannot free himself. He cannot move forward, either mentally or physically, away from the land where he feels he belongs. The grandfather physically refuses to leave, and when forced to do so, his fate is sealed. Even as he talks about the wonderful life he expects to have in California, his grandfather cannot mentally abandon that land. Jim Casy makes this observation after his grandfather's death. "'He was joking, the whole time. I think he knew it. And Grandpa didn't die tonight. He died the second you took him away from that place... It was that place, and he knew it." '" (187). Similar to Muley Graves, Grandfather's mental connection to the land prevents him from being physically able to leave it.