The Significance Of The American Dream In The Grapes Of Wrath

The american dream is a wolf in sheep's clothing, deceptively luring people to a fate scarcely ever attained. Rather than stay in Oklahoma, fields dry with years of no rain, the Joad family undergoes a precarious journey to California under the guise of stable and well paid work. In The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck California is portrayed as the epitome of the american dream. As the story progresses though, Steinback utilizes imagery and symbolism to break down the fantastical nature of the american dream.

Before California, in Oklahoma, the Joads dreamed of a new beginning. For Connie and Rose of Sharon dream that “‘[...] they’s plenty work in California, we’ll git our own car. But them’—he indicated the disappearing Zephyr—‘them kind

The Joad family, like that of Muley Graves’, believed in the good wages and high employment in california. Not long after leaving home Tom Joad voices concerns about them, “‘[...] Seems too nice, kinda. [...]I’m scared of stuff so nice. I ain’t got faith. I’m scared somepin ain’t so nice about it’”(Steinbeck 90-91). Tom’s hesitancy towards the promises held by the papers proves correct as the Joads hear of others coming back from california. Once in California Timothy, a ___, confirms “‘We seen ‘em too. An’ they ain’t much work. An’ wages is comin’ down all a time. [...]”(Steinbeck 293). Wages decrease to unlivable standards for even one person, let alone for a whole family like Tom had been forced to do as no one else could obtain work. More than simply wages though, Steinbeck had utilized the Joads’ employment to carry the idea of the unattainable american dream, as Y. Manikumar states, "John Steinbeck emphasized the unattainable nature of the American Dream of economic stability in The Grapes of Wrath through the Joads’ cross country migration, their constant and unpredictable changes in employment, and their eventual failure to find success in california”(Manikumar 371). It all paints a picture of hope, waning faith, and an eventual disappointing

Assuming there are always crops to be worked on implies that the land in California is fertile enough then to grow all of those crops. Similarly to the land, weather in California is described by the Joads to be, for lack of a better description, perfect. Only after reaching California does the reality of what the weather becomes apparent, “And then the storm struck them. Sheets of rain fell on them. They plowed through the mud and up the little incline. [...] It hissed and splashed, and the growing wind drove it along.” (Steinbeck 453). Steinbeck’s use of words such as struck and hissed imply the viscous nature of the weather, furthering the harsh reality of California. More than simply the land or work, the Joads dreamed of their new home. Ma Joad dreamed of “‘[...] a white house with oranges grownin’ around”(Steinbeck 148). Achieving this dream is just as out of reach as the rest of California, forced to leave even their boxcar in the end. Jules Chametzky summarizes the brutal conclusion to the Joad family’s american dream perfectly stating “At the end of [The Grapes of Wrath], the Joads seem to have reached the lowest point of their lives: jobless, homeless, fleeing from the rains and flood that have destroyed their temporary refuge ina destroyed boxcar [...]”(Chametzky 34-35). Chametzky puts into perspective the cruel reality of the Joads’