The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

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 Steinbeck toured many migrant labor camps and "saw firsthand the destitution of migrant families in government camps and spontaneous Hoovervilles." (Railsback, 2006, p.129)

Steinbeck's experiences were put down in words as the tale of Tom Joad, who upon his release from prison found his family the victims of an economic disaster. 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 depiction of the social divide that existed between those who were well off and those who were poor was the most haunting and possibly the most controversial. "Okies" were thought of as "invaders" by the local Californians who claimed that "they bring disease, they're filthy. We can't have them in the schools." (Steinbeck, 1939, p.291) Portrayals like these as well as the personable characters make a connection with the reader so that they can sympathize with the poor migrant workers against the wealthy and selfish native Californians.