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Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," described the economic divide that existed in America during the Great Depression of the 1930's and the tragic result that occurred as a result. A native Californian, Steinbeck used his home state as the backdrop for a story of a family of migrant farm workers, derisively called "Okies" for their area of origin, Oklahoma. The troubles the family faced, although originally brought on by a natural catastrophe, seem to be made worse as a result of man's inhumanity toward his fellow man. Steinbeck novel was a criticism of a system of economics that allowed a few wealthy landowners to take advantage of scores of powerless, yet honorable, common people.
Growing up in California, John Steinbeck was fully aware of the wealthy landowners who, after acquiring the land from it's original Mexican owners through dubious means, transformed the state into an agricultural wonderland. Troubled by the unfairness of the system, along with the massive suffering caused by the Great Depression, Steinbeck wanted to expose the tremendous suffering of the numerous migrant workers. In researching this novel...
Their farm had been repossessed by the bank and the family was leaving Oklahoma for the promise of a better life in California. However, California was no paradise and Tom and his family found themselves at the mercy of a system that exploited workers and maintained wealthy landowners. Despite the many difficulties faced, Tom and his family ultimately maintain their dignity by transforming their fear of a harsh world into wrath against injustice.
Steinbeck's greatest argument against a system that divided the people into those with great wealth and those who were poor and exploited was his vivid descriptions of the conditions faced by the migrant workers. Having visited many camps Steinbeck was able to accurately describe the horrors faced by migrant workers to the rest of the American public. But it was his…
References
Railsback, Brian, and Michael Meyer. (2006). A John Steinbeck Encyclopedia. Westport,
CT: Greenwood Press. Print.
Steinbeck, John. (1939). "The Grapes of Wrath." Big English Novels. Retrieved from http://142.23.40.13/big/english/novels/GrapesOfWrath.pdf
Windschuttle, Keith. (June 2002). "Steinbeck's myth of the Okies (Another archtypical myth debunked). New Criterion. Retrieved from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/709593/posts
Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," described the economic divide that existed in America during the Great Depression of the 1930's and the tragedies that occurred as a result. A native Californian, Steinbeck used his home state as the backdrop for a story of a family of migrant farm workers; derisively called "Okies" for their area of origin: Oklahoma. Devastated by a natural disaster commonly referred to
Grape Depression John Steinbeck's Naturalism and Direct Historical Representation: The Great Depression and the Grapes of Wrath Literature cannot help but be reflective of the period in which it is written. Even novels that are set somewhere outside the time and place that author occupies will necessarily include some degree of commentary on the issues, beliefs, and values of the author's own world. This is, in part, what makes an understanding of
John Steinbeck, why soldiers won't talk. "Why soldiers won't talk:" John Steinbeck's imaginative essay on the psychological impact of war One of the most interesting aspects of John Steinbeck's essay "Why Soldiers Won't Talk" is the way in which he subtly shifts from the first person to the second person in the essay. He begins the essay stating that he himself is not a soldier: "During the years between the last war and
John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath -- the Movie and the Novel There are quite dramatic differences between the ending of the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" and the final chapter in the book (chapter 30) -- John Steinbeck's brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. In fact the last chapter of the novel is so totally dissimilar from the John Ford-directed film one wonders why Hollywood would cut out such engrossing drama
For two years prior to the publication of the Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck spent his time with a group of migrant workers making their way towards California. Travelling and working with the laborers, Steinbeck found the heartfelt material in which to base his book." (Cordyack, 1) This shows in his gritty but sympathetic portrayal of the American working class. This is an idea which illuminates perhaps the most important of
Performance Theme The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck's epic and often brutal novel about the plight of rural farmland America in the time of the Great Depression provided an excellent example to investigate the relationship between the separate artistic mediums of novel and film. The purpose of this essay is to highlight how the relationship between a book and film may actually produce a mutually beneficial legacy upon each other. I