Essay about The Dust Bowl in John Steinbeck´s The Grapes...

John Steinbeck’s acclaimed novel, The Grapes of Wrath, embodies his generation’s horrific tragedy. John Steinbeck’s writing gives insight on the devastating effects of the Dust Bowl on thousands of families and those who helped them. While Steinbecks novel focuses on the Joads family journey, he also includes writing of the general struggle of many families at the time. In John Steinbecks novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the usage of the term â€Å"Okies† degrades the workers, while the personification of the cars help depict the struggle of the journey, to exemplify the adaptation the migrant workers had to make to survive the new life. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck separates the demographic of people with steady jobs and income from the†¦show more content†¦Along with this, the lack of jobs and the despair the families face alter their behavior, showing the raw survival instinct within. For the first time, the men who hired the Okies â€Å"saw the eyes of the hungry... [and] the flare of want in the eyes of the migrants† (Steinbeck 282). As the time progresses, the families left their old ways behind, stripping them of their morals and their identity. The unity among friends and family were lost. Instead, families became a pack of hungry wolves, hunting for jobs. Objectifying a whole group of people dehumanizes them, making the migrant workers seem like animals risking everything to stay alive. It strips the people of their past, their morals, and the importance of a human being. While the families become dehumanized, Steinbeck personifies the cars to mirror the change of the community. The usage of personification to describe the cars deepens the exhaustion and fear of the people who cross the country to California. As the families travel on the Highway 66, the caravan of cars â€Å"[limp] along 66 like wounded things, panting and struggling† with the weight of the Okies’ complications (Steinbeck 122). The cars sympathize with the migrant workers weariness during the long journey. Like many of the workers, the cars struggle to overcome obstacles, both figuratively and literally. Each time it faces an overwhelmingShow MoreRelatedWhat Influenced John Steinbeck?. What Exactly Influenced884 Words   |  4 PagesWhat influenced John Steinbeck? What exactly influenced Steinbeck’s writings? Was it his background, his past, or was it the way he grew up and learned. There are many factors that come into play when trying to depict what exactly influenced an author. A lot of people believe that he was heavily influenced by California, where he lived. As many as nine of his works were proven to be based off of some part of california life in his time. But not all of his inspiration could simply come from CaliforniaRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1190 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath April 14th, 1939, John Steinbeck published the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel became an immediate best seller, with selling over 428,900 copies. Steinbeck, who lived through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, sought to bring attention to how families of Oklahoma outdid these disasters. Steinbeck focuses on families of Oklahoma, including the Joads family, who reside on a farm. The Joad family is tested with hardship when life for them on their farm takesRead More The Pain of the Okies Exposed in The Grapes of Wrath Essay1485 Words   |  6 PagesThe Pain of the Okies Exposed in The Grapes of Wrath      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Dust bowl was an ecological and human disaster in the Southwestern Great Plains regions of the United States in the 1930s. The areas affected were Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The poor handling of the land and years of drought caused this great disaster (Jones History). During this time the Okies--a name given to the migrants that traveled from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, or anywhere in the Southwest or the northernRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pages The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck, widely viewed as one of the most finest and powerful American writer, born to a middle-class family in 1902 in the Salinas Valley of California. Steinbeck is a writer who often spoke for the people. The Grapes of Wrath is a great movie, published in 1939, filled with many universal truths and views on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. In the article, John Steinbeck The Grapes a wrath: A Call to Action says, â€Å"Steinbeck’s novel showcasedRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath : The Great Depression1748 Words   |  7 PagesJamie LoConte Mrs. Viscosi AP Lang. Per. 4 5 April 2017 The Grapes of Wrath: The Great Depression â€Å"Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, and emerges ahead of his accomplishments† (Steinbeck). The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a classic book read by millions in high school due to its simple prose, clear symbolism, and its heartwarming story of perseverance against the odds. However, this novel is far moreRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1075 Words   |  5 PagesKirsten Lloyd Mr. Eldridge AP Junior English 21 August 2014 Grapes of Wrath â€Å"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.† (Seneca), In the 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the reader accompanies the Joad family as they struggle to escape the crippling Dust Bowl of the mid- 1930’s. In hopes of establishing a new life for themselves after being forced off their land the family embark on a journey from Oklahoma to California in search of fruitful crops and steady work alongRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1729 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Steinbeck the author of The Grapes of Wrath has a very unique styling of writing. With his style of writing the historical and creative embellishments of the Great Depression are expressed vividly. The way John Steinbeck brings out the nonfiction and the fiction points of view in his writing bring a special twist to writing in general. The way that his writing can bring out the historical and creative writing makes this one of the most intriguing reads a person could ever read. TheRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1292 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of Tom Joad, a man who leaves his home state of Oklahoma and journeys with his family to California for work during the Great Depression (Steinbeck). However, although fictional, the story hit too close to home for many Americans at the time. Some argued that the book was propaganda and exaggerated the conditions of the working class, and copies were burned in protest (â€Å"Banned Book Awareness†). In reality, Steinbeck s description of theRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s The Grapes Of Wrath And Of Mice And Men 1433 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant things in life are love and beauty, which bring joy to the process of living. These answers are the philosophy of John Steinbeck † (Benson 555). John Steinbeck was a major American writer who has written many books, which have come to be known as classic America n stories. Examples of these classic stories are The Grapes of Wrath, The Red Pony, and Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck is worthy of the praise he has received for his contributions to American literature because he added a new genre asRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1806 Words   |  8 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck depicts the story of the fictional Joad family on their journey from Dust Bowl-plagued Oklahoma to California in search of work as well as the struggles they encounter along the way. The Dust Bowl in Oklahoma displaced many families, and these so called â€Å"Okies†faced discrimination and, in some cases, illegal mistreatment by landowners and even by government agencies such as the police. Due to the failure of federal, state, and local governments to adequately