The Dust Bowl

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John Steinbeck uses the setting of the Dust Bowl in the novel The Grapes of Wrath to show the major effects the awful conditions have on both individuals and families. He is able to describe how inhumane men can act to one another but counter that with the inability of some to lose hope and break up a family. The Joads refuse to give up and break apart in the journey to the west. Other such as Joe Davis’ son succumb to the bank and betray their own in order to survive. Joe Davis’ boy’s change from farm boy to tractor driver in the beginning of the novel serves to illustrate the drastic steps taken to survive and to create a barrier between family and community to show the multiplying divisions and different responses in American societies …show more content…
Blinded by the need to survive, many people, such as Joe Davis’ boy, went against their own community and assisted the bank in chasing people out of their homes. Joe Davis’ boy operated a tractor to plow into houses, houses of people his family had known for year, detaching them “from [their] foundations so that [they] fell sideways, crushed like a bug” (Steinbeck 39). The lives of many families are ruined just for a three dollars a day wage. The barbarism exhibited by Mr. Davis is carried out without the slightest ounce of remorse. Betrayal is the route taken by Mr. Davis to remain afloat. It is easy to blame the bank as it is the single most hated thing to these Americans. However, once Mr. Davis sits in that tractor he willingly allows himself to be controlled by the bank. His actions alone are rendering many families homeless, some even on the verge of starvation. The Joads never go against their community or any of the other migrants in their situation. They are perfect evidence that no matter how rough times get, friends, families, and any …show more content…
Had that scene been removed from the book, just how tight of a grip the bank had on much of the land in the United States would not be fully understood. Mr. Davis’ betrayal of his former community and his selfishness is the complete opposite of the selflessness and constantly expressed family ideals of the Joads. However, the Joads are the more mature, larger, and older family it can be assumed with Mr. Davis referring to his kids as if they were very young. He has spent much of his adult life suffering in the Dust Bowl and has only experienced having kids during these hellish times. He takes desperate measures to earn money for his family but chooses the safest option, which is siding with the bank. The Joads have experienced plenty of ups and downs and can see the brighter side of the situations, and they refuse to lose hope in any
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