Grapes of Wrath- History

The book Grapes of Wrath relates to history very well. This book was set in the late nineteen thirties in Oklahoma. This is where history comes into this book. In the nineteen thirties, many farmers faced a new challenge against nature that left many of them struggling to survive. This new challenge is often referred to as the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl is a drought that swept through an area that the travelers called the Great American Desert, which consisted mainly of the plains states. The Dust Bowl was a drought that drove many farmers to pack up their families and leave their failing farms behind. Another way that this novel relates to history is with the Great Depression. The Great Depression was already well on its way in the nineteen thirties, and the Dust Bowl only made things worse for America. Just before all of this happened, the farmers were prospering. They were growing crops like crazy and the market was good. This is one of the reasons the Dust Bowl started, because the land was over farmed and the soil was no longer healthy. With the Great Depression going on and all, it is pretty obvious that times were not easy for many people. The Joad family goes through a pretty rough time when Pa Joad has to step down from the leader of their family because he is trying to cope with everything that has happened to them. During this time, Ma Joad steps up to the plate and takes control of the family. The author makes it very clear that Ma Joad's biggest goal is to keep her family together. I think that because the events that happened in real life also took place in this book it makes the book seem so much more realistic. We got to see what some families went through and how much they suffered. I think that the author did a really great job with including some historical events in this book because it made the book that much more realistic.

Bibliography

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