The Grapes of Wrath - Question 8

How accurately does this novel reflect events in history?

As I mentioned in a previous blog, this novel could almost be classified as historical fiction. The novel depicts events in history such as the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Those two events occurred around the time period that the author wrote the story, so he was obviously inspired by real life events. Steinbeck wrote from the perspective of the migrating worker, and they were definitely lower on the food chain that the plantation owners. Steinbeck believed that everyone was better than the migrating worker. The plantation owners and the banks worked together to steal money and goods from the workers, even after they did all of the hard work. That is what actually happened during the Dust Bowl era in history and the Great Depression. The depression sent all the workers west because they were told that there was work in the west. The banks newspaper companies helped to spread the message, so essentially, they were working together to make a profit off the hard working American citizens. The plantation owners in the story treat their workers very poorly. At one point, they are even compared to being treated like the owners horses. But at the same time, the farmers believe that the owners are responsible, and are very upset when the farms are closed down. The relations in this story are very mixed up, but always depict what actually happened in the time period.

The relationship between the family is a very strong bond that helps the family to survive. All the family has is each other, and the author writes about their relationship and roles in the family. The two younger men are always in charge of fixing the automobiles, and Ma is pretty much in charge of the family. Honestly, that is still how life is in today's society. Things have changed from an economic standpoint since the Great Depression, but many things are still similar to the way they were during the Dust Bowl.

Steinbeck, John, and Robert J. DeMott. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.