Comparison Of Oklahoma And California In The Grapes Of Wrath

Steinbeck exploits a disturbing and melancholy tone in The Grapes of Wrath in order to describe the desolation and destitution of California, once the Joad family arrives. A majority of the novel supports Steinbeck’s disturbing tone, especially with the novel set during the Great Depression; moreover, the setting of the novel proves parallel with Steinbeck’s disturbing tone. Many families traveled to California in attempts to begin a better life; however, many of the migrants discovered that California’s lifestyle did not meet any of the expectation many of the families had. The poverty, low wages, and unemployment that the Okies faced in California proved disappointing, and Steinbeck continually illustrates the struggles the Okies face to

Grapes of Wrath Author, John Steinbeck, in his novel, Grapes of Wrath, narrates the life of people in Oklahoma during the time of the Dust Bowl, when no one has everything, but everyone has nothing. Steinbeck’s purpose with this novel is to show different people’s point of view and way of life during this time; what people had to do to for themselves and their families to survive. He adopts a narrative, everyday tone; therefore causing the reader to feel like they are there with the usage of imagery and the vernacular familiar to the region during this time period. In Chapter 1 of Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses of imagery to show the reader what the Dust Bowl was like, not only in general, but with everyone else in the story.

In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck depicts the stories of migrant families during the Dust Bowl, where dust covered plantations, resulting in barren fields with incapabilities to grow crops. Due to barren lands, landowners forced the farmers off the fields, which causes the farmers to lose all of the reasons to stay. Therefore, the farmers set out onto a new journey that will hopefully lead them to a place where life can restart. However, this journey is not a perfectly smooth path; on the journey, the farmers face various adversities. Out of the countless families, John Steinbeck highlights the Joad family, who suffers through numerous misfortunes on the way West, toward California. Through the Joad family, Steinbeck portrays the novel as a form of social protest by emphasizing the unjust treatments the families receive , the deterioration of the false allusions the families hold of the American Dream, and by suggesting a future revolt of the working class.

California brings about another biblical allusion. As part of Moses bringing his people out of Egypt, he told of a promised land to where he would take the Israelites, and that land was Canaan. For the Joad’s and many other migrants, California was the promised land they were searching for. Apart from both of the promised lands beginning with the letter C, they had many things in common. “The vineyards, the orchards, the great flat valley, green and beautiful…the peach trees and the walnut groves, and the dark green patches of oranges (Steinbeck 227).” This is an allusion to the promised land of the Jews, where in Numbers 13:27 it states “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit (Zondervan 207).” Both lands were bursting with

One would say that on a literal level The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is about the Joad family's journey to California during The Dust Bowl. However, it is also about the unity of a family and the concept of birth and death, both literal and abstract. Along with this, the idea of a family unit is explored through these births and deaths.

Many devastating events occurred during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. In The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, these injustices are outlined through the Joad Family’s migration to California. Steinbeck focuses on a key theme in Chapter five, the inability to escape hardship during the time of the Dust Bowl. Farmers, friends, and owners got caught in something much larger than themselves known as the “Monster”.

The story of Grapes of Wrath is first set in the late 1930s in Sallisaw, Oklahoma during not only the Great Depression, but also the Dust Bowl. Due to the banks and the government acting as monsters and devouring homes and land as well as the Dust Bowl resulting in the overuse of land, the Joad family is forced to leave their home in Oklahoma and search for a new start in California. Because many other families have packed up their belongings and have already left the surrounding homes in the area, the Joad family decides to leave as well. There are many variables that have driven the Joad family to pack up their things and to begin their long journey to California. Not only are they trying to escape from their suffering on their infertile land and government

     The book, Grapes of Wrath, follows the life of the Joad family, who live in Oklahoma during the Depression. The story begins with the return of Tom Joad from prison, where he has spent the last few years. He killed a boy in a bar fight and is now on parole. He is taken by surprise when he returns to Oklahoma only to find that his house is in ruins and his family is not there. He doesn’t know that, while he was gone, the banks forced his family and thousands of others off their land. Tom is accompanied by a former priest, Casey, who searches with Tom for his family. Tom and Casey find the Joad family at Tom’s uncle’s house. The family is preparing to move west to California in hopes that they

   When Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, our country was just starting to recover from The Great Depression.  The novel he wrote, though fiction, was not an uncommon tale in many lives.  When this book was first published, the majority of those reading it understood where it was coming from-they had lived it.  But now very few people understand the horrors of what went on in that time.  The style in which Steinbeck chose to write The Grapes of Wrath helps get across the book's message.

The Grapes of Wrath is set in the horrible stage of our American history, the Depression. Economic, social, and historical surroundings separate the common man of America into basically the rich and poor. A basic theme is that man turns against one another in a selfish pride to only protect themselves. For example, the landowners create a system in which migrants are treated like animals and pushed along from one roadside camp to the next. They are denied decent wages and forced to turn against their fellow scramblers to simply survive.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck provides an accurate perspective of farmers living during the Dustbowl though the plight of the Joad family. The storyline creates a strong foundation for how the reader understands how the victims of it must feel during the exodus of the Oklahomans and the consequences they must face in California just for arriving there. Emotional and complex, Psalm 7 envelops how each of the Joads must feel when they come across obstacles in their westward ordeal.

In Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he describes the struggle of the small farmer and farmworker. The principal characters define quiet dignity and courage in their struggle to survive and in the caring for their loved ones. Through this novel, Steinbeck displays his respect for all the poor and oppressed of our world.

“They had no argument, no system, nothing but their numbers and their needs. When there was work for a man, ten men fought for it – fought with a low wage. If that fella’ll work for thirty cents, I’ll work for twenty-five”(Steinbeck). The renowned novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a realistic portrayal of life and social conditions during the 30’s when the Dust Bowl swept across the nation, causing many to fall deeper into the depression. This caused many families to leave their homes in search of a safer and more hopeful land. The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad, his family, and many other migrant farmers as they migrate from their Oklahoma farms into their new, hope filled life in California. The struggles that these characters endure

The plot of The Grapes of Wrath is a fairly simple one. The families are moving out of states such as Oklahoma and traveling west because they can no longer make a decent living growing crops. However, if one looks past this simple plot they will find out there is much more then meets the eye. The presence of greed is located throughout the novel; an example of this is located in chapter fifteen when it goes on to explain the different ways the waitress, Mae, acts depending on the financial status of the customer. If she is tending to a truck driver, who she knows has money, she will put on a show to lure money out of him, but if it is a traveler going down route 66 that act disappears. The message, which lies deep down in each chapter, is one that questions the greed in our ever-changing society. In our society everyone wants to fit in, and many times not everyone is treated with equal respect. In essence, these people are having their freedom ripped away right in front of their eyes. Steinbeck has strong feelings on this issue and this book illustrates them to the fullest extent.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck uses numerous literary techniques to advocate for change in the social and political attitudes of the Dust Bowl era. Simile, personification, and imagery are among the many devices that add to the novel’s ability to influence the audience’s views. Moreover, through his use of detail, Steinbeck is able to develop a strong bond between the reader and the Joad clan. This bond that is created evokes empathy from the audience towards the Joads as they face numerous challenges along their journey. The chapters go between the Joad’s story and a broad perspective of the Dust Bowl’s effect on the lives of Mid-western farmers in which Steinbeck illustrates dust storms devastating the land, banks evicting tenant