Analysis: The Grapes Of Wrath

Words: 718
Pages: 3

“Up ahead they’s a thousan’ lives we might live, but when it comes it’ll on’y be one.” In the popular American classic The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck impeccably portrays the troubles of a small family during the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl, which caused the 1930’s to be known as the ‘dirty thirties’, was a period where huge dust storms plagued the American and Canadian prairies. Dust storms caused farming to become more difficult and family farms became increasingly further into debt with banks. Due to the enormous amounts of family debt, many families packed up as much of their belongings as possible and moved away; many families moved to California in search of new and better jobs. The Grapes of Wrath depicts the struggles of a small Oklahoman …show more content…
Initially, the reader may be confused as to whether the story will be based around the driver or the man; additional reading reveals that the story is focused around the newly released man, Tom Joad, and his family. Like many other Oklahoma families, the Joads run a family farm that is steadily decreasing due to the Dust Bowl and poor agricultural practices. The Joads are facing the prospect of having their property taken from them and their house destroyed by banks. Before their property is destroyed, the Joads pack up all that they can, leave everything else behind, and travel to California. Of course, along the way they run into issues and even travel with another family for a while, but in the end the Joads make it to California. While in California, the Joads find work, though they change jobs a few times due to different problems or …show more content…
The plot of The Grapes of Wrath is not only interesting, but also educational in the aspect that it shows what families actually endured during the 1930’s. The Grapes of Wrath is a book that can interest a variety of readers, though certain people may not find the book as interesting as others. The characters lend to the plot and help it to become more appealing. John Steinbeck created an exquisite plot and characters within The Grapes of Wrath that allow for it to be fascinating and thoroughly