Grapes of Wrath :: essays research papers

The Grapes of Wrath, chronicles the Joads family exodus from Oklahoma to California in search for a brighter, economic future. The lift Joad and the exodus to California is parallel to the Biblical story of Exodus and the character Job, but at the time was depicting the Okie Exodus. The Okies were farmers whose topsoil blew away due to circulate storms and were forced to migrate along Route 66 to California in search of work. The Okies were resented for migrating in large numbers to aras in the West where work was already hard to find and the sudden multitude of workers caused wages to be lowered. The Joads reside in Oklahoma, referred to as the Dust Bowl of the U.S. because of its lack of rain. The story takes station during the late 1930s when the country was in the midst of the Great Depression. The Joad family were sharecroppers evicted from their homes because they failed to pay the bank their loan payments to the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company.On their journey, the Joads ran into a return migrant from California who tells them that the handbill they have looking for 800 pickers is a bunch of hogwash. Hed rather thirst in Oklahoma then starve in California. The migrant scolds them on their naivety saying Now, how many of you all got them handbills?...(The men respond that they all have them) There you are, same yellow handbill. 800 Pickers Wanted. whole right, the man wants 800 men, so he prints 5,000 handbills and maybe 20,000 people see em. And maybe two or three thousand people start West on account of that handbill. Two or three thousand people that are crazy with worry headin out for 800 jobs. Now does that make sense? He tells them that the growers are exploiting them, causing a surplus of workers to drive down labor costs according to supply and demand. The significance of his role in the movie, is that he lets the Joads know everything they are moving West for is false. Their journey is based on a lie, and the grass isnt greener on the oth er side.While halt for gas, Mr. Joad heads into the diner to buy a loaf of bread. Mr. Joad is a nickel short of the 15 cents that the bread cost, and against the waitresses opinion the chef tells her to sell it to him for a dime.