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Analysis Of John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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In the history of America, Americans have had to drastically change their livelihood several times. In the 1930s, John Steinbeck became a writer of the struggles Americans faced at the time. Steinbeck’s writing style was quite particular, detailing many aspects of the times and what people were going through. He focused on the lives of average American families and their struggle to make it through the times. The Grapes of Wrath is one of several novels he wrote to express this. The 1930s and the beginning of the Great Depression was a time of major change from the happiness and well-being found in the 1920s. As the 1920s were a time of prosperity and wealth for many Americans, the 1930s brought about the Great Depression. As the Great Depression …show more content…

Once President Roosevelt came into office, reform programs were made to support the people during the 1930s’ Great Depression. President Roosevelt began relief programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Youth Administration in the hopes of changing the economy of America and bringing Americans back to a time of peace and prosperity (Roosevelt, Roosevelt’s Campaign Speech 1). The Civilian Conservation Corps provided work to men on conservation projects throughout the country while the National Youth Administration created employment primarily for students in search of work. In the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, many migrant farmers seek relief from government camps. Several of the migrant people, “scuttling for work, scrabbling to live, looked always for pleasure, dug for pleasure, manufactured pleasure, and they were hungry for amusement” (Steinbeck 325). While some migrant farmers did want the relief that came with living in a government camp, others aimed to continue traveling for work simply seeking self-amusement. The Joads, however, aimed to live in a government camp until they were once again financially stable. In their search for a government relief camp, “Tom Joad drove along a country road looking for the Weedpatch camp” (Steinbeck 286). The accommodations provided by the government-funded camps allows the Joads to start anew and begin their economic climb back to their old way of living. With the running water and the ability for the Joads to remain in one place and find work, the Weedpatch camp is an ideal place for their current economic

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My theme is how humanity’s purpose should be to help one another in an upwardly manner. To help one another in times of need. To give to the collective. This is demonstrated by how Tom develops throughout the story. In the beginning of the book, Tom basically lives for the present movement.

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During the time of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression many small farmers lost their farms due to poor farmer conditions. Those who managed to continue to produce a crop yield eventually lost their farms due to the failing economy. This harsh time is highlighted in John Steinbeck’s classic novel, Grapes of Wrath. During one of Steinbeck’s intercalary chapters, chapter 14, Steinbeck uses pathos, a metaphor, and short syntax to show that big business, especially in the agricultural industry, is the root of the hardships faced by small farmers and migrant workers.     Steinbeck uses a different form of pathos to draw his readers and make it so that the audience can understand the severity of the suffering that the migrant families are facing.

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John Steinbeck, in the novel, Grapes of Wrath, identifies the hardships and struggle to portray the positive aspects of the human spirit amongst the struggle of the migrant farmers and the devastation of the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck supports his defense by providing the reader with imagery, symbolism and intense biblical allusions. The author’s purpose is to illustrate the migrant farmers in order to fully exploit their positive aspects in the midst of hardships. Steinbeck writes in a passionate tone for an audience that requires further understanding of the situation.

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