Because The Grapes of Wrath takes place during the Great Depression, the tightly constrained opportunities to achieve the American Dream are a basic reality for all the characters. John Steinbeck focuses on those who had little to begin with and traces their journeys in search of improved conditions. For the Joads, survival itself is often an unachievable dream. Life on the farm was unsustainable because of the Dust Bowl conditions, and the landlords forced them and other tenants off the land. After they decide to cut their losses and make the trek west, several family members and the dog die on the way from Oklahoma to California. Once they arrive, along with thousands of other migrants, finding work is a challenge. Government services are inadequate for the number of people affected. Workers who try to improve their situation are punished by the owners, and Tom Joad ends up killing a man who killed his labor organizer friend. Overall, Steinbeck’s view of US life during the Depression challenges the very concept of the American Dream.
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