"The Grapes of Wrath" and Historical Accuracy

Paper Summary:

"The Grapes of Wrath,? by John Steinbeck, tells the story of the fictional Joad family and their journey from Oklahoma to California during the 1930s. Though the family is fictitious, Steinbeck utilizes the characters to create a startling and very real simulation of the life of the average family during the Depression. The paper compares the occurrences and economical conditions of the novel to those which truly existed during the 1930s. The paper explains that Steinbeck created "The Grapes of Wrath" not merely as a story, but as a historical and social document of the lives of migrant workers during the Depression as well.

From the Paper:

"John Steinbeck chose to keep his novel "The Grapes of Wrath" as historically accurate as possible. According to John Steinbeck's Biography by Donne E. Florence, Steinbeck wrote the novel to express his disapproval for America's social ills during the 1930's, sympathizing with the plights of the migrant workers and their families. His goal was to condemn the treatment of America's migrant workers and to show everyone how though their lives were because of corporations. He also wanted to show that the migrant workers were just as humane as any other person, and that all they were trying to do was survive in a society dead-set against them. Another reason for Steinbeck's accuracy in his novel was the result of his experience as a newspaper reporter, which allowed him to see first-hand the difficult lives of the migrants during his visits to labor camps. Accuracy was also important to Steinbeck because he wanted his book to be more than a story; he wanted it to be a social document as well."

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• Analytical Essay # 122097 : "The Grapes of Wrath" and Market Structures"
• Analytical Essay # 122529 : "The Grapes of Wrath" and John Steinbeck"
• Book Review # 113991 : "The Grapes of Wrath" and Ideology"

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