Joad Family In The Grapes Of Wrath

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Recommended: Causes and Effects of the Great Depression in America

In the early 1930s, vast dust storms and droughts in the Midwest region of the United States left homes destroyed and farmlands unfertile. This time period was known as the “Dust Bowl”, which lasted about ten years. This greatly impacted the lives of many who lived in this region, particularly the southwest, who were hit the worst with the storms (Nelson, "About the Dust Bowl."). Those who made a living off of their farmland could no longer support their families due to the lack of income because of the drought. This led to a great migration of families westward toward California in order to find jobs, food, and shelter. The immense hardships faced during this migration caused many families and individuals to work for very little money, reside …show more content…

An excellent example of this occurs in John Steinbeck’s international bestseller The Grapes of Wrath, where the Joad family is forced to migrate westward and must face adversity head on after being hit with an enormous dust storm and losing their valuable farmland. In order to illustrate how Steinbeck’s novel represents themes of family commitment and losses of sanity within society during this era, many analysts and literary critics have used characterization, conflict, and the theory of new historicism within the novel to break down these particular themes.
The Grapes of Wrath depicts the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930’s through the fictional story of an Oklahoma family, the Joads, who had to abandon their homeland, and were forced to travel west to California, where work and shelter was promised (Levant, “The Grapes of Wrath”). Throughout their travels, the Joad family is constantly struck with harsh realities ranging from the death of Grandma and Grampa during the …show more content…

Ma Joad is saying how before the Joads were forced on their journey westward they didn’t have to obey anyone else and they were their own bosses. Ever since they were forced to migrate she has felt oppressed and mistreated which gave her a sense of meanness and made her ashamed. Steinbeck’s point here is to show that the migration did not only create hardship for society, but it also diminished and altered society as people. These social and political aspects (mistreatment of society by police and government) portray the loss of sanity within society and also society’s loss of morals, two major themes within the novel. With the use of new historicism and analysis of history through the use of social and political dimensions, the reader is able to better comprehend the impact of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl on society as a

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