Grapes of Wrath Essay -- essays research papers

The Joad family is forced to move to California because of the Oklahoma DustBowl, which has made it impossible for them to earn a livelihood through farming. Drought and effect has made it impossible for farmers to grow a substantial amountto live on. As inflation rises and wages drop, a gigantic worker migration heads West insearch of Jobs. They have seen notices asking for workers in the western part of theUnited States, and travel thinking that they will find gainful employment. However there is much(prenominal) to learn about the United States in its economic turmoil. During the depressive disorder,thousands of people looked for work, and were cheated every step of the way. TheGrapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is the story about a family living during the old age ofthe depression and what they did to survive. Many families were hurt by the depression,so Steinbeck wrote of a typical family with detail that makes you understand the pain andsuffering people went through in the uncouths darkest of times.Tom Joad, recently released from prison for a homicide, hitchhikes back home tohis fathers farm which he hasnt been to in 4 years. He tells the truck number one wood who giveshim a ride that he got in a fight with a guy at a dance and when he tried to brandish aknife, Tom hit him on the head with a shovel. The truck guider lets him off at his fathersfarm but he finds it abandoned. He does meet up with an old friend Jim Casy who used tobe a preacher. So Tom and Jim head down to his uncles to locate his family. A daylight laterhe finds them all about to leave for California. Tom decides to accompany his family toCalifornia although it means breaking his parole. Packed tightly into a truck, they begintheir voyage down Route 66, little realizing that they are part of a huge migration into anunwelcoming region of the US. The Joads encounter friends along the road, but they alsowander into adversity. They meet the Wilsons, who drive along with them to Arizona , andvarious other Oklahoma families. This Journey is not easy though, there is much suffering to be dealt with. Tomsgrandfather dies of a stroke at the beginning of the trip. And his dogs that he boughtalong are run over. They constantly have car problems and they face more and moredisrespec... ...cannot fight against the administration that enslaves them, to desperatefor food and shelter to think about their situation to any great extent. Steinbeck focuseson the sacrifices made by people for their children and friends, emphasizing the simplicityof their lives plot of land demonstrating their desire for respect and recognition. They are forcedinto constant migration by large land-owning companies, and it is these same companiesthat prevent them from rising above poverty. During the Depression, the entire countrywas faced with maturement poverty and unemployment, and the Joads are only one of manyfamilies forced to leave their homes. We look at the depression like it was a hard time foreveryone. And at such a time, we should stand together and solve our problems. Systematically, society has performed its usual segregation of scapegoats, in this case theOkies, because they were poor and couldnt get jobs. The people didnt realize that therewas plenty of opportunity because they were to caught up in their own finances to be ableto look past the barriers and start looking for solutions. The depression was a very hardtime, but for families like the Joads, it was harder.