The Grapes Of Wrath By Tom Joad Essay - 1004 Words

The Grapes of Wrath Although this book may a fiction work, it still hold a great deal of the mood of the 1930’s. The Americans of this time period were going through a huge economic depression. Most people were out of work and extremely poor. Food was scarce and homes were even harder to find. Many people lived in Hoovervilles made of tarp and tin. This book goes through the life of one family through their troubles. Although the family is made up, this would represent the untold struggles of thousands of American families. Tom Joad, recently released from prison makes his way back to his family. Along the way, Tom meets a man by the name Jim Casy. Jim is an ex-preacher, who now believes sacredness consists simply in endeavoring to be an equal among the people, instead of his teachings that all life was sacred. This just goes to show how living in complete poverty can change a man and his entire belief system. They set out to Tom’s home and find that everyone has been â€Å"tractored† off the land. This pretty much means the bank has come to collect money and all the families were too poor to afford to pay, so the bank took the land. The two travel to Tom’s uncle only to find the family packing up to move to California with the promise of fruit picking jobs. Everyone from the family is here at the uncle s house because their homes were also taken from them. The family heads out together toward California in hope to put their lives back on track and to earn a proper living.Show MoreRelatedGrapes of Wrath: Awakening of Tom Joad Essay630 Words   |  3 PagesGrapes of Wrath: Awakening Of Tom Joad Grapes of Wraith by John Steinbeck portrayed the awakening of a mans conscience dealing with his troubling trials throughout the novel. The character that goes through this monumental change is Tom Joad, son of two tenant farmers from Oklahoma. 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