Okie

In the twentieth century, an ideal known as the American Dream became the quest of many Americans. The American Dream is "an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity" (“American Dream”). Material prosperity is the main element of the American Dream that was stressed in the twentieth century, as Mr. Webb in Our Town so accurately points out. “Seems like they spend most of their time talking about who’s rich and who’s poor" (Wilder Act 1). This emphasis…

undoubtedly had taken an oath to uphold the law and promote the public good, would have been more happy to see the Joads drop off the face of the earth than see them in California. Without any provocation, a policeman insults Ma Joad, calling her an "Okie" and threatens to run her out if her family has not left their campsite by the morning (Steinbeck 213-214) The Californians tried to discourage the growth in population of migrant workers by any means possible, legal or…

assumed that the economic situation in California was good, it wasn’t. Many of the farmers abandoned their farms to go to the Golden State, not knowing that California was down in the dumps due the Great Depression. The picture a depicts a migrant Okie that is traveling to California on Route 66. The farmer has all his belongings secured in the back of the truck, she has a baby, that she maintained to keep clean, dressed in white sitting on a blanket. The situation of the baby shows the care…

“The free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky.” If I was to leave Oklahoma, there is one thing I am sure I will always miss: the vibrant sunset of a warm summer day by the lake. When I see the birds fly right over the horizon line, diving into the glimpse of beauty, in a moment that I’m always too slow to catch on camera, I stop and think. Think about every opportunity I have received.…

harder to achieve than previously believed. Steinbeck writes, “They hate you ‘cause they’re scairt. They know a hungry fella gonna get food even if he got to take it. They know that fallow lan’s a sin an’ somebody’ gonna take it...You never been called ‘Okie’ yet” (Steinbeck 139). The dialogue in this text exemplifies the bias more successful workers have for migrants looking to improve their lives in California, especially those who come from Oklahoma. This unfavorable attitude against the…

Correlation between the Okies and Mexican Immigrants The novel The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, tells the story of a family journeying to California with the goal of starting a new life. On the way, they experience turmoil and hardships. This novel takes place in the 1930’s, the same time the great depression and the dust bowl were occurring. These two events affected the United States dramatically, and aspects of this can be seen throughout the novel. Steinbeck added what seemed like…

John Steinbeck’s, The Grapes of Wrath, is a glimpse of the reality behind Americas historical Great Depression, though it’s intent is much deeper than that. Steinbeck reinforces the idea of family unity and fighting together with the Joads and their journey. The deeper message that Steinbeck wanted to make with the Joad family is unclear and their future beyond the last chapter is also left to the assumption of the reader. However, chapter thirty reveals a great deal of information when looked…

Human civilization is like a well made salad. The lettuce, the chunks of carrots and cucumbers don’t necessarily taste the best, but eating them is great for your body and your mind. You feel amazing having eaten your salad; you committed to your goal and you succeeded, sort of. Upon closer inspection, you realize you’ve glazed ranch over the salad, and washed your lunch down with a sugary soft drink, simply to distract from the bitter taste comes with accepting good nutrients in your body. Much…

Many people who had been migrants were offended by the term “Okie,” which was constantly used throughout the book. However, many critics took a second look at the book, and the novel was awarded with a Pulitzer Prize in 1940 (Steinbeck 2359). In the same year, the novel gained a movie adaptation (Welsch). John Steinbeck’s…

Annotated Bibliography Keough, Trent. "The Dystopia Factor: Industrial Capitalism in Sybil and The Grapes of Wrath." Utopian Studies 4.1 (1993): 38-54. Keough criticizes industrial capitalism by discussing two novels “Sybil” and “The Grapes of Wrath.” He describes that these two novels are socio-political that document “the spiritual disintegration” and “ideological failure” of industrial societies. This novel moves from reflecting social problems and the difficult lives of…