Grapes of Wraith

7 Pages 1628 Words

The Grapes of Wrath: A True Depiction of a Terrible Depression

The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s drove many farmers west in search for jobs and put many others on the streets. In this time of pain and suffering the Joad family in John Steinbeck’s classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, represent the families of thousands as they deal with the hardships of the depression face to face in their own adventure to California.
During the 1920’s the United States was in a dream world. Business was at an all time high, the stock market became a popular route to success and new technological break through were being made on a regular basis (Palmer 2). Inventions such as hand radios, vacuums, refrigerators and many others were being celebrated on a daily basis and the sells were off the charts. Ironically, man beat himself at his own game when what seemed to be a time of prosper and when nothing could go wrong actually aided in bringing on the Great Depression (Samuelson 2).
Improvements in mechanics and the arrival of new inventions eliminated many jobs in the factories and prior to the loss of jobs people felt no need to be cautious with their money leaving them broke. When depression hit and money began to lose its value businesses folded, banks closed, factories had to shut down and jobs became harder and harder to find (Palmer 2). Right along side of the Great Depression the Dust Bowl struck with full force. The once plentiful lands of the southwest had become barren and unproductive as well as the large corporation that began to industrialize farming forced the farmers out of work. Factory workers found themselves on the streets as new machines took their places saving money for the factories and working faster and more efficiently (Hinton 2). But not everyone was directly affected by the Great Depression. Most often the younger or older workers who were less educated, less experienced or less capable of h...