Here is some background information of the author: According to The Americans textbook, John Steinback got help from the Federal Writers' Project to publish his unforgettable novel The Grapes of Wrath in 1939 in which, just like Candida summarized very well, Oklahomans left the Dust Bowl and migrated towards California. He was able to achieve a well-recognized legacy of his novel because he, himself, suffered through the hardships of the Great Depression.
Research on:
- The Great Depression: From 1929 to 1940, the U.S. economy faced a financial decline which resulted in the unemployment of millions of Americans. Once the stock market crashed it immediately led to the fear of Americans loosing their money, so they immediately removed their money from the banks; in addition, the businesses that supplied the national goods began to decrease. The Great Depression caused the low sale of American farm products and manufactured goods which led to the trouble farmers had to face to pay their dues and buy the needed food.
-The Dust Bowl: In the early 1930's, the region that included states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, was a location where it was useless to try to grow crops because of the horrendous drought and all the dust being blown around. Due to these factors, farmers decided to leave their land behind since it would not benefit them whatsoever; they picked up a few belongings and moved to the west towards California.
-Oklahoma weather: According to the website, " America's Story from America's Library," it is written that the weather was grotesque at the time because the dust accumulated and covered the entire sky with it which made it hard to see the surroundings. The farmers closed their windows and doors tightly from their house, but yet the dust still found a way to get in through the cracks.
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