...Prior to writing the book, Steinbeck took a “four week journey from Bakersfield to Needles in which he lived and worked with Depression migrants.”(Reuben, Paul P) During World War I, wheat prices were high so most farmers plowed the grassland and planted dry land wheat as “bushel of wheat sold for $1 in 1929.”(The Farmers Plight) Because of over production, wheat dropped to “$.30 cents in 1932” and farmers were not prepared for the phenomenon of the Dust Bowl. (The Farmers Plight) Steinbeck’s novel begins by detailing the dust bowl that hit Oklahoma, "Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes."(Steinbeck pg. 3) Drought and soil erosion brought on by over farming turned the agricultural land of the Great Plains into a giant dust bowl during the 1930’s. The once rich grassland turned into a giant dust bowl during the 1930’s “due to drought and soil erosion brought on by over farming” (Divine, APP). Herman Goertzen, a Midwestern farmer experienced one of the most devastating storms first hand, “It was like a black wall that went over that area, south of us, there. It went through and it was just like shutting a barn door.”(Goetzen) He states, “The iron guard bit into the house corner, crumbled the wall and wrenched the little house from its foundations so that it fell sideways, crushed like a...
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...The Grapes of Wrath a well-known classic by John Steinbeck was published in 1939, and before it was published, migrant workers were living in very harsh conditions in several parts of the United States. The Grapes of Wrath is about an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family, the Joads, who suffer various hardships while migrating to California. The Dust Bowl was a period of time in the 1930s where harsh droughts led to severe dust storms which ruined million acres of prairie land in America. This story tells us the plight of all those migrants during the Great Depression through the perspective of the Joad family. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck uses intercalary chapters to provide background for the various themes of the novel, as well as to set the tone. Steinbeck’s previous book had bought him much success and Steinbeck did not want his success to weaken his commitment to the intellectual goals of his writing. So later, he embarked upon a trip from Oklahoma to California with a group of migrant workers. He worked and lived alongside them in a work camp in California. His experience was the inspiration for this novel. The story begins just after Tom Joad is released on parole from McAlester prison for homicide. On his journey to his home in Oklahoma, he meets former preacher Jim Casy whom he remembers from his childhood and the two travel together. He finds out his family has been evacuated from their land and are leaving for California. Tom and Casy join them. Going west on Route 66...
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...The Truth about Migrant workers Behind the Oklahoma dialect of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and the telling words contained in article four of ‘The Harvest Gypsies’, it is evident Steinbeck is attesting to the deep struggles and obstacles migrant workers had experienced in the 1930s. John Steinbeck’s main point it seems, is to let the readers know and understand the extent of the migrant worker struggles and how it has taken a toll on simple things such as their dignity, self- confidence and ability to govern themselves. Steinbeck also goes on to give the readers the impression he strongly favors the construction of more Federal Government camps to assist the migrant workers during their current struggles. The struggles of migrant workers as portrayed...
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...06 November 2012 John Steinbeck: A Champion for the Common Man Born with the hand of a writer, John Steinbeck’s career sparked great political controversy, and greatly influenced the writings of his time. Widely considered one of America’s greatest novelists, his books are still frequently studied in school. Among his many accomplishments is the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature. With notable works such as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, he expressed his dissatisfaction with capitalism and his sympathy for the struggle of the common worker in a way that captured the world’s attention – which resulted in some of his work even being banned. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores the pervasive theme of loneliness and illustrates the fallacy of the American Dream. Widely considered his masterpiece, however, is The Grapes of Wrath which depicts the struggle of a family of Oklahoman farmers who are forced into a migratory existence due to the drought and dust storms following the Great Depression. When considering both The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, it is clear Steinbeck drew from his own personal experiences as a laborer when writing each of these novels. On February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, John and Olive Steinbeck welcomed their third child and only son, John Ernst Steinbeck. John Ernst Steinbeck, Sr. was a county treasurer and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck was a schoolteacher. By all accounts, Steinbeck enjoyed...
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...Henry David Thoreau was extremely opposed to the Mexican War and refused to pay taxes by means of protesting slavery. He addresses his experiences and views on civil disobedience, which were also revisited almost a century later in John Steinbeck’s account of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, The Grapes of Wrath. This novel reflects Thoreau’s ideas about civil disobedience such as, less government involvement is better, people should make their own laws, and they should work together to fight injustice. One of Thoreau’s principle beliefs is that the less government is involved in community affairs, the better. He is in complete agreement with the claim that “government is best which governs least… [or] which governs not at all” (Thoreau...
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...In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, every gory detail of the 1930’s California dust bowl is explored in the greatest of detail, and every fiber of the hardships those involved faced are brought into the spotlight. Among a gripping story with visceral characters, The Grapes of Wrath manages to raise profound questions that challenge the standards of morality set by society. What is right and wrong, and how do we as people know which is which? Through careful social commentary, and keen examination of standards through stupefying metaphors, Steinbeck spins a literary web of striking exposition that goes the extra mile to force an analytical perspective onto the reader. It is with these aspects of literature that Steinbeck is able to effectively...
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...The Grapes of Wrath is primarily a story about the Joads, an all-American farming family, and their journey westward, but through the use of inter chapters, the novel also depicts the hardships faced by the general population during the Great Depression. These chapters are added to give more detail and history about the economic and familial circumstances simple people must go through. The use of inter-chapters in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath adds to the novel stylistically, thematically, and symbolically by allowing readers to experience the struggles of average American families and relating those situations back to the Joads. Steinbeck’s use of inter-chapters add to the novel stylistically by using them as a foreshadowing technique. In chapter 7, it says “Squirt in a couple quarts of sawdust. Put some in the gears, too. We got to move that lemon for thirty-five dollars” (). Steinbeck is telling the readers about corrupt car salesmen who tamper with cars to take advantage of desperate families for profit. This chapter is foreshadowing the events in chapter 16 when the Wilson family’s car breaks down and the Joads stay back to help them. Another example is chapter 9 foreshadowing the...
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...Nikki Slomers Mrs. Moser AP English 11 28 March 2014 Steinbeck’s Philosophical Theory and Influences The Grapes of Wrath, a story of the Joads’ journey from Oklahoma to California in search of the American dream during the Great Depression era. Thousands upon thousands of people had to pack up and leave the land that they were born and raised on due to the Dust Bowl and the banks foreclosing on acres and acres of property. Having lived through this time period, John Steinbeck, the author of the novel The Grapes of Wrath is no stranger to the conditions these people lived in. Traveling with migrant farm workers for a few years in Salinas California, John adopted a very specific philosophical theory from the many influences around him. John Steinbeck’s philosophical theory, including transcendentalism and the concept of the oversoul, humanism, earthy democracy, and pragmatism, all play an important role in the development of his characters in The Grapes of Wrath. To begin, one of the most important characters in the novel, Jim Casy, “the preacher”, single-handedly interprets and embodies the philosophy of the author John Steinbeck and the novel itself. Tom Joad and Jim Casy cross paths while Tom was on his way home to find his family after just being released from prison. The two men, having been long time friends, decide to walk together and catch up. Jim vents to Tom, and tells him about not preaching anymore. “I was a preacher,” the man [Jim Casy] said seriously, “but...
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...H. Tharp The Unspoken Truth about John Steinbeck’s Legacy in Monterey County John Ernst Jr. Steinbeck is one of the most respected and honored American writers among our society today. In many classrooms around the world, his books are still mandated as reading requirements and there are many museums and centers dedicated to this esteemed author. John Steinbeck has won numerous awards for his books, most notably the Pulitzer Prize for his fictional novel, The Grapes of Wrath in 1940, and the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962 based on his entire body of work. Steinbeck’s other awards, which are typically less known are included in the following chart: WORK | YEAR | AWARD | MEDIUM | “The Murder” | 1934 | O. Henry Award | Print | Tortilla Flat | 1935 | Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novel by a Californian | Print | In Dubious Battle | 1936 | Ibid | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1938 | N.Y Drama Critic’s Circle Award | Play | “The Promise” | 1938 | O. Henry Award | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1939 | American Bookseller’s Award | Print | LifeBoat | 1944 | Academy Award nominee for Best Story | Print | A Medal for Benny | 1945 | Ibid | Print | The Moon is Down | 1946 | King Haakon Liberty Cross | Print | Viva Zapata! | 1952 | Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay | Play | N/A | 1963 | Honorary Consultant in American Literature to the Library of Congress | N/A | N/A | 1964 | U.S Medal of Freedom; Press Medal of Freedom | N/A...
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...the Working Class: John Steinbeck and His Mark on Literature Writing has left influence on millions. Books have transformed lives, given purpose and happiness to those who have read them: literature is one of the most important things to a society, as it not only allows its readers to grow intellectually, but also creatively. John Steinbeck was once just a nine year old with Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, who then went on to be someone considered one of the best writers of his time. Steinbeck has been held up next to authors like Edgar Allen Poe, and his writing is taught in most, if not every, high schools in America. Very few people are born famous and even less are born skilled in their field. Steinbeck was born in Salinas,...
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...When I first began reading the Grapes of Wrath, I did not understand why the chapters would tell the story of the Joad’s journey then go back and describe something that did not relate to the Joad’s journey. I was confused why John Steinbeck chose to describe inanimate objects, people, places etc. in a detailed way. I realized that once the Joad’s journey began an intercalary chapter followed. The chapter had a lot of impact because sometimes it would relate to the Joad’s journey. For example, when the Joad’s bought a truck, the intercalary chapter explained a used cars salesmen trying to take advantage of farmers need for cars by selling a car that was in bad shape for high prices. As a reader, the intercalary chapters were interesting chapters within the book, it broke up the Joad’s journey and allowed it to be a sneak peek to what might happen in the following chapters....
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...John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California, a region that became the setting for much of his fiction, including Of Mice and Men. As a teenager, he spent his summers working as a hired hand on neighboring ranches, where his experiences of rural California and its people impressed him deeply. In 1919, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he studied intermittently for the next six years before finally leaving without having earned a degree. For the next five years, he worked as a reporter and then as caretaker for a Lake Tahoe estate while he completed his first novel, an adventure story called Cup of Gold, which was published in 1929. Critical and commercial success did not come for another six years, when Tortilla Flat was published in 1935, at which point Steinbeck was finally able to support himself entirely with his writing. In his acceptance speech for the 1962 Nobel Prize in literature, Steinbeck said: . . . the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature. Steinbeck’s best-known works deal intimately with the plight of desperately poor California wanderers, who, despite the cruelty of their circumstances...
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...“complete trust or confidence in something or someone”. So what does it mean to have faith in God and in turn how does this faith make itself present in our everyday lives? These are questions that have been addressed by countless authors and poets of history. To fully invest one’s self into the belief of God and to truly call themselves a believer of God, a person must trust, or have faith, in God’s will, power, and plan. It is this faith that God will provide and protect that proves time and again to be an essential part of being a true believer. Authors like John Steinbeck and Robert Bolt have used this faith as essential themes in their greatest works The Grapes of Wrath and A Man for all Seasons. Steinbeck and Bolt both portray what it means to be a believer in God through their main character’s actions and beliefs. John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, portrays life of migrants during the time of the dust bowl and specifically focuses on the migrant family, the Joads. These migrants and their families are traveling westward to California, looking for new opportunities to improve their lives and to provide for their families. On their journey the Joad family encounters death, homelessness, starvation, and extreme poverty that they never expected when starting out on their trip. Every member of the family is extremely affected by these images but none more than Jim Casey, a preacher and friend of the family. At the beginning of the journey Casey considers himself to...
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...Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, The Joads family shows traditional gender roles deteriorating as they travel to California during the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck explores the emblematic thoughts of gender at the time, by restating and challenging them. During the Great Depression, it was prevalent that the male figure was the head of the family, in charge of working, making major decisions, and overall supporting the family. However, women were perceived to be domesticated in their house, doing household chores, like cooking and cleaning, and bearing and taking care of the children. Nevertheless, in The Grapes of Wrath, the author John Steinbeck defies these roles that were stereotyped, by illustrating the development of the...
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...US HISTORY - THE DEPRESSING THIRTIES THE GREAT DEPRESSION (1929-1941): FROM THE STOCK MARKET CRASH TO WORLD WAR II I. IMPACT ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE A. HOMELESS AMERICANS 1. HOOVERVILLES - SHANTYTOWNS BUILT OF SCRAP MATERIALS BY THE HOMELESS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MANY CITIES 2. HOBOS - OVER 1 MILLION MEN AND CHILDREN WANDERING THE RAILS FOR WORK 3. BREAD LINES & SOUP KITCHENS - ATTEMPT TO END HUNGER AMONG HOMELESS B. FARMERS 1. 1929-32 - 400,000 FARMS LOST TO FORECLOSURES 2. DUST BOWL - DRAUGHT AFFECTS THE PLAINS FROM CANADA TO MEXICO; KANSAS, TEXAS & OKLAHOMA HARDEST HIT; ONE STORM HAD A CLOUD 3 MILES HIGH WITH WINDS THAT BLEW OVER 100 MPH FOR 5 DAYS ACROSS THE US TO THE ATLANTIC 3. OKIES MIGRATION TO CALIFORNIA - JOHN STEINBECK’S THE GRAPES OF WRATH - WOODY GUTHRIE’S DUST BOWL BALLADS C. VETERANS 1. BONUS ARMY - WWI VETERANS WANT CASH VALUE OF INSURANCE POLICY NOW NOT IN 1945; 17,000 MARCH ON DC CONGRESS VOTES DOWN BILL & 2,000 WON’T LEAVE; MacARTHUR & IKE USE ARMY AND GAS TO REMOVE VETS; 11 MONTH OLD IS KILLED AND AN 8 YEAR OLD IS BLINDED; BAD PR FOR HOOVER D. WOMEN 1. MARRIED WOMEN HAD TROUBLE FINDING EMPLOYMENT - MARRIAGES DECLINE 2. FRANCES PERKINS BECOMES THE FIRST FEMALE CABINET MEMBER (LABOR) E. CHILDREN 1. CHILD WELFARE SERVICES CUT BY STATES 2. MANY SCHOOL CLOSINGS 3. BREAD LINES AND SOUP KITCHENS F. WORKERS 1. BUSINESS FAILURES...
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