Grapes of Wrath Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Joad family is forced to move to California because of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, which has made it impossible for them to earn a livelihood through farming. Drought and depression has made it impossible for farmers to grow a substantial amount to live on. As inflation rises and wages drop, a gigantic worker migration heads West in search of Jobs. They have seen notices asking for workers in the western part of the United States, and travel thinking that they will find gainful employment. However there is much to learn about the United States in its economic turmoil. During the depression, thousands of people looked for work, and were cheated every step of the way. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is the story about a family living during the days of the 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 and suffering people went through in the country’s darkest of times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom Joad, recently released from prison for a homicide, hitchhikes back home to his fathers farm which he hasn’t been to in 4 years. He tells the truck driver who gives him a ride that he got in a fight with a guy at a dance and when he tried to brandish a knife, Tom hit him on the head with a shovel. The truck driver lets him off at his father’s farm but he finds it abandoned. He does meet up with an old friend Jim Casy who used to be a preacher. So Tom and Jim head down to his uncle’s to locate his family. A day later he finds them all about to leave for California. Tom decides to accompany his family to California although it means breaking his parole. Packed tightly into a truck, they begin their journey down Route 66, little realizing that they are part of a huge migration into an unwelcoming region of the US. The Joads encounter friends along the road, but they also wander into adversity. They meet the Wilsons, who drive along with them to Arizona, and various other Oklahoma families.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This Journey is not easy though, there is much suffering to be dealt with. Tom’s grandfather dies of a stroke at the beginning of the trip. And his dogs that he bought along are run over. They constantly have car problems and they face more and more disrespec... ...cannot fight against the system that enslaves them, to desperate for food and shelter to think about their situation to any great extent. Steinbeck focuses on the sacrifices made by people for their children and friends, emphasizing the simplicity of their lives while demonstrating their desire for respect and recognition. They are forced into constant migration by large land-owning companies, and it is these same companies that prevent them from rising above poverty. During the Depression, the entire country was faced with growing poverty and unemployment, and the Joads are only one of many families forced to leave their homes. We look at the depression like it was a hard time for everyone. 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 the Okies, because they were poor and couldn’t get jobs. The people didn’t realize that there was plenty of opportunity because they were to caught up in their own finances to be able to look past the barriers and start looking for solutions. The depression was a very hard time, but for families like the Joads, it was harder.