Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," described the economic divide that existed in America during the Great Depression of the 1930's and the tragedies that occurred as a result. A native Californian, Steinbeck used his home state as the backdrop for a story of a family of migrant farm workers; derisively called "Okies" for their area of origin: Oklahoma. Devastated by a natural disaster commonly referred to as the "Dust Bowl," in the 1930's Oklahoma faced the worst drought in recent history and it's economy was all but destroyed. Like the protagonists in the story, hundreds of thousands of real families who faced eviction and ruin were forced to gather up their meager possessions and head off to somewhere else; hoping to find a better life. Many of these people traveled to California where rumors promised paradise and work, but unfortunately those who made the arduous...
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