The stories, novels, films and photographs surrounding the Dust Bowl crisis and the Vietnam War have been marred with various issues about historical reconstructions. Whereas historical critics have raised questions about the real cause of migration of south westerners during the Dust Bowl crisis, their representatives have given conflicting accounts on the events surrounding the Odyssey. Steinbeck, in his book, The Grapes of Wrath, explains that the migration of farmers from Oklahoma was caused by the harsh drought that followed the Dust Bowl Odyssey (Davidson & Lytle, 2009a). On the other hand, critics argue that the findings are not based on statistics. According to historians, novelists like Steinbeck normally base their historical stories on exaggeration and should rely on facts and statistics. For example, the number of farmers who migrated into California is exaggerated. When James Gregory, a current historian, went through the Census Bureau statistics, he found out that only 43% of people living in Oklahoma were farmers during the Dust Bowl crisis. According to historical critics, other causes for the migration might have been the agricultural reorganization and mechanization, as portrayed by a tractor in The Grapes of Wrath.
Although the 1930 census, which was carried out in Oklahoma, suggests that there was a decrease in population, there is no evidence of migration from the region. Some historians also suggest that the Dust Bowl crisis was not the only cause of migration into California; some people moved to the place to look for financial boost for their farms. Historians must always remain truthful to the historical records despite the difficulty in their reconstructions. Historians normally analyze the past in ways ...
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...ple by historians, as seen in the chapter, “From Rosie to Lucy” (Davidson & Lytle, 2009b). For that reason, it is apparent that the current historians are finding the relevant sources easier to access than their predecessors.
Works Cited
Davidson, J. W. & Lytle, M. H. (2009a). Dust Bowl Odyssey. In, After the Fact. The Art of Historical Detection (pp. 284-309). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Davidson, J. W. & Lytle, M. H. (2009b). From Rosie to Lucy. In, After the Fact. The Art of Historical Detection (pp. 339-365). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Davidson, J. W. & Lytle, M. H. (2009c). The decision to drop the bomb. In, After the Fact. The Art of Historical Detection (pp. 310-335). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Davidson, J. W. & Lytle, M. H. (2009d). Where trouble comes. In, After the Fact. The Art of Historical Detection (pp. 420-447). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
When times get tough, many people turn away from everyone and everything. It must be part of human nature to adopt an independent attitude when faced with troubles. It is understandable because most people do not want to trouble their loved ones when they are going through problems, so it is easier to turn away than stick together. Maybe their family is going through a rough patch and they reason they would be better off on their own. This path of independence and solitude may not always be the best option for them or their family, though. Often times it is more beneficial for everyone to work through the problem together. It is not always the easiest or most desirable option, but most times it is the most efficient and it will get results in the long run. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck makes this point very clear through several characters. Many characters throughout
Misfit to Madonna: Rose of Sharon’s Transformation When Rose of Sharon is first introduced in The Grapes of Wrath, we learn that she is expecting a child from her new husband, Connie Rivers. She is described as a mystical being whose primary concern is the well-being of her child, even at the almost ridiculously early stage of her pregnancy at the start of the novel. It is this concern that illustrates Rose of Sharon’s transformation from misfit to Madonna through the Joad’s journey. Rose of Sharon incessantly asks Ma Joad if “it’ll hurt the baby” throughout the majority of the novel, and adopts an attitude of superiority over others with her precious possession. She all but refuses to help the family pack the truck for California for fear of disturbing her fetus, even though she knows her help is needed.
Natural conditions contributed to the cause of the Dust Bowl. During the year of 1936, North America was dealt an extreme am...
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is considered a classic novel by many in the literary field. The trials and tribulations of the Joad family and other migrants is told throughout this novel. In order to gain a perspective into the lives of "Oakies", Steinbeck uses themes and language of the troubling times of the Great Depression. Some of these aspects are critiqued because of their vulgarity and adult nature. In some places, The Grapes of Wrath has been edited or banned. These challenges undermine Steinbeck's attempts to add reality to the novel and are unjustified.
The area of severe wind erosion, soon known as the Dust Bowl, compromised a section of the wheat belt near the intersection of Kansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. ”(Gregory, 11). Along with Gregory, John Steinbeck in his book, The Harvest Gypsies, and Debra Weber in her book, Dark Sweat, White Gold, also write about these events, and in particular the people who were affected by it. The Dust Bowl had ruined any chance of farmers in those regions being able to farm, because of that they were forced to relocate to be able to survive.
Gregory, James N. American exodus: the Dust Bowl migration and Okie culture in California . New
John Steinbeck used a lot of different styles in The Grapes of Wrath. He liked using language that was in keeping with his characters. He was also really big on symbolism. Steinbeck also used intercalary chapters to provide some of the background information.
Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath In the novels 'The Great Gatsby' by Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck, the authors present similar ideas, but use different methods to portray them. Similarities in themes can be made between the two texts; these include the pursuit of the American Dream and the use and misuse of wealth. Other themes are also central to each novel, the strength in unity and the influence of female characters. The presentation of these similar themes is different, by the use of characters, setting, society, plot, and style and techniques employed by the author.
The Strength of Unity A sense of community was a necessity for many Americans during the era of the Great Depression. With the drought in the Dust Bowl and other catastrophes, many were forced to relocate elsewhere in attempt to survive. The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, illustrates the importance of unity during privation through the idea that members of society must work in unison to achieve a common goal. Steinbeck demonstrates this theme through multiple aspects in the book.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was an award winning American author who published novels, short stories, screenplays, and travel narratives. Steinbeck’s highly detailed and in-depth writing style contributed to him producing emotionally moving works of literature. Focusing on the cruelty and hopelessness of the world, Steinbeck can be accredited as a naturalistic writer as he exemplified these ideas in many of his works. Growing up in a fertile valley, Steinbeck “developed a deep appreciation for the environment” (Shillinglaw); fueling his desire to accurately portray the struggles of everyday life. John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat uses naturalistic literary philosophy to examine how heredity, environment, and circumstance influence the lives of human beings.
The early twentieth century was a time of change for America with western expansion, discrimination, and innovation. The western United States became one of the places to live because of its sense of wild lands and industrial progress. This time of change paved way for legendary literature including great authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and even the great J. R. R. Tolkien. However, one of the best authors during this time was John Steinbeck. Born and raised in California, he wrote many novels that were influenced by his childhood backyard and experiences in the Central Valley and Monterey areas. Steinbeck’s short story collection The Long Valley shows Steinbeck’s influence from his childhood home in the settings around the Salinas and Monterey regions in many of the short stories, as well as prominent and common themes such as communion, unfulfilling marriages, and the road to manhood.
The “Dust Bowl Odyssey” presented an initial perspective of why families migrated from drought-ridden, Dust Bowl, areas to California. Edward Carr cautions, “Interpretation plays a necessary part in establishing the facts of history, and because no existing interpretation is wholly objective, on interpretation is a good as another, and the facts of history are in principle not amendable to objective interpretation” (Carr, 1961, p. 31). Historians had to separate the prejudices, assumptions, and beliefs of the times in order to have a more objective reasoning of the migration. The migration had valid evidence that supported against the theory of the Dust Bowl being the only contributor. Rather there were other historical contributions to
After the end of World War I in 1919, a group of thirty Japanese settled in San Joaquin Valley, California making their ethnic community in Cortez. Despite the Alien Land Law of 1913, which prevented Asians from purchasing land or leasing it for more than three years, most of the families were able to establish fruit orchards in large land areas. It is this community that the author of the book conducted her research.
Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic novel that mimics life and offers social commentary too. It offers many windows on real life in midwest America in the 1930s. But it also offers a powerful social commentary, directly in the intercalary chapters and indirectly in the places and people it portrays. Typical of very many, the Joads are driven off the land by far away banks and set out on a journey to California to find a better life. However the journey breaks up the family, their dreams are not realized and their fortunes disappear. What promised to be the land of milk and honey turns to sour grapes. The hopes and dreams of a generation turned to wrath. Steinbeck opens up this catastrophe for public scrutiny.
John Steinbeck lead a life filled with words, from his award winning novels to the hundreds letters he wrote to friends during his career. He was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902, and lived there for the first sixteen years of his life until he graduated from Salinas High School in 1918. He took classes at Stanford, but spent more of his college years working to pay tuition than then he spent in the classroom. 1924 brought his first publication, two short stories in the Standford Spectator, but in 1925 he left his schooling and went to New York for a time. By 1926, he was back in California and his first book, Cup of Gold, was published the year the of great stock market crash, but had little success. In 1930, he married Carol Henning, and the two lived in Pacific Grove, CA for the next several years. These years were lean; Steinbeck was having trouble selling his work, even with the help of his literary agents, McIntosh and Otis. Often, selling a short story for 50$ or so was the difference between eating or not.