Grapes of Wrath- Causes Gains and Losses

In the book Grapes of Wrath, the main conflict faced by all of the farmers is the drought also known as the Dust bowl. Some people think that the cause of the Dust Bowl is because the farmers had over farmed some of the areas and the soil became unhealthy, but I also think that is was just a period when the rain did not come as much as they expected. The Dust Bowl made life for all the farmers very unpleasant, so eventually most of the families decided to pack up and travel to California. Those families who chose to stay behind faced starvation, so to most people the choice was obvious. Because so many families decided to pick up and travel to California in search of jobs, a new problem came to the surface. If everyone that was affected by the Dust Bowl heard about jobs in California, then it only makes sense that they would travel there right? Well you see if that many people are going to be searching for jobs, the jobs will fill up pretty quick. So therefore a lot of the families that came into California hoping to find jobs, were told that there were no more jobs and that they should just go back home. There are many losses associated with the conflict of this book, such as the loss of a home for many people. A large number of the farmers and their families were forced to leave their homes and most of their belongings behind in order to travel to California. Another loss because of the conflict is the loss of loved ones. The journey to California is not an easy one, and with the Joad family the older people could not complete the journey. Not only did old people die, but also any families that stayed behind starved to death. I think that only a few good things came from this conflict, and that is hope and family.

Bibliography

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print