Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck essays

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck essays The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is both a historical and literary depiction of the lives of California migrant workers who became victims to the dry spells that plagued the Dust Bowl regions (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado) during the 1930s. The novel, through the lead characters, Tom Joad and his family, Steinbeck illustrated life of Oklahomans who migrated to California in search for work and living. However, the Joad family's life served as the symbol' representing all California migrant workers during the period. This is because the novel actually discusses the conflict between the California migrant workers (protagonist) and the white American society (antagonist). Moreover, the novel is also a display of conflict between poverty and wealth, as American society shifts from being an agricultural to urban. Conflict between the migrant workers and white Americans in California stemmed from the threat that the migrants posed for the state's inhabitants: the migration of people from the Dust Bowl regions led to lesser opportunities for work and economic resources for them Tom Joad, the main character of the novel, best represent the migrant worker of the 30s, who was forced to leave his home for want of a better life in California. However, hopes for his family's good fortune in their new life led to disillusionment when he witnessed the sorry' state of migrants in and the ugliness' of California. This realization surfaced as they neared and arrived at the state: "Tom looked about the grimy tents, the junk equipment, at the old cars, the lumpy mattresses out in the sun, at the blackened cans on fire-blackened holes where the people cooked" (286). The inevitable conflict that discrimination among migrant workers finally led to Tom's downfall, when he was (wrongfully) accused of killing Casy. His disillusionment and becoming a fugitive bui...