The novel The Grapes of Wrath takes place in the early 1930s when events such as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression occurred. These tragedies dramatically affected the characters of the novel. The Grapes of Wrath was written by John Steinbeck in a time where employment rates were lower than ever, people were kicked off their land and assured a better life in “the promise land” (William). The events that took place in the 1930s kept the characters from living their normal lives and forced them to move all the way to California to find out it was all just a broken promise.
Between 1930 and 1940, the southwestern Great Plains territory of the United States suffered a severe drought (Great Depression). The Dust Bowl was a period of intense …show more content…
The depression caused families all over the midwest to suffer they are forced to give up their homes, jobs, savings, and farms filled with produce. “ What do you want us to do? We can't take less share of the crop – we're half starved now. The kids are hungry all the time. We got no clothes, torn an' ragged. If all the neighbors weren't the same, we'd be ashamed to go to meeting” (Steinbeck 5.11). The 32nd president Franklin Roosevelt had been elected into office and citizens of the midwest had high hopes for an end to this Depression. He provided leadership, most Americans placed great confidence in him(Great Depression). The economic problems of the 1930s were worldwide in scope and effect. Economic unpredictability led to political fluctuation in many parts of the world. Events taking place throughout the world led us nearer to war. However the United States tried its hardest to avoid interfering with Europe and Asia when they broke into war (Great Depression). The United States had trouble remaining out of the conflict between the two countries until they could no longer avoid it. When Japan attacked pearl harbor the world war broke out causing the Great Depression to come to a close when men and women enlisted to fight in the war giving them a job and a home. This is a common act amongst people in the 1930s and is a huge …show more content…
The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl caused problems for the Joad family and many others throughout the novel. The setting changed multiple times throughout the novel because of the inconveniences of the events taking place. The Dust Bowl ruined the land which was a disaster for any farmers relying on their produce for money or food. The Great Depression made people lose their homes and jobs. In the novel the rumors spread throughout the midwest about the so-called “promised land”. "But I like to think how nice it's gonna be, maybe, in California. Never cold. An' fruit ever'place, an' people just bein' in the necest places, little white houses in among the orange trees. I wonder- that is, if we all get jobs an' all work- maybe we can get one of them little white houses. An' the little fellas go out an' pick oranges right off the tree"(Steinbeck 124). The Joad family set off they camped wherever they could, despised as white trash and rousted from place to place (William). They traveled across the country in hope of starting a new life in California or “the promised land” but faced reality when they arrived. They heard rumours as they got close to California of children starving to death and jobs running out in an instant and lost hope. When the family reached California, the economic and living conditions were much different the paradise they had pictured (Ignelzi et al.). They struggled
Between 1930 and 1940, the southwestern Great Plains territory of the United States suffered a severe drought (Great Depression). The Dust Bowl was a period of intense …show more content…
The depression caused families all over the midwest to suffer they are forced to give up their homes, jobs, savings, and farms filled with produce. “ What do you want us to do? We can't take less share of the crop – we're half starved now. The kids are hungry all the time. We got no clothes, torn an' ragged. If all the neighbors weren't the same, we'd be ashamed to go to meeting” (Steinbeck 5.11). The 32nd president Franklin Roosevelt had been elected into office and citizens of the midwest had high hopes for an end to this Depression. He provided leadership, most Americans placed great confidence in him(Great Depression). The economic problems of the 1930s were worldwide in scope and effect. Economic unpredictability led to political fluctuation in many parts of the world. Events taking place throughout the world led us nearer to war. However the United States tried its hardest to avoid interfering with Europe and Asia when they broke into war (Great Depression). The United States had trouble remaining out of the conflict between the two countries until they could no longer avoid it. When Japan attacked pearl harbor the world war broke out causing the Great Depression to come to a close when men and women enlisted to fight in the war giving them a job and a home. This is a common act amongst people in the 1930s and is a huge …show more content…
The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl caused problems for the Joad family and many others throughout the novel. The setting changed multiple times throughout the novel because of the inconveniences of the events taking place. The Dust Bowl ruined the land which was a disaster for any farmers relying on their produce for money or food. The Great Depression made people lose their homes and jobs. In the novel the rumors spread throughout the midwest about the so-called “promised land”. "But I like to think how nice it's gonna be, maybe, in California. Never cold. An' fruit ever'place, an' people just bein' in the necest places, little white houses in among the orange trees. I wonder- that is, if we all get jobs an' all work- maybe we can get one of them little white houses. An' the little fellas go out an' pick oranges right off the tree"(Steinbeck 124). The Joad family set off they camped wherever they could, despised as white trash and rousted from place to place (William). They traveled across the country in hope of starting a new life in California or “the promised land” but faced reality when they arrived. They heard rumours as they got close to California of children starving to death and jobs running out in an instant and lost hope. When the family reached California, the economic and living conditions were much different the paradise they had pictured (Ignelzi et al.). They struggled