The Grapes of Wrath

The migrant situation of the 1930’s as depicted in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath was caused by many diverse factors. It started with an extremely dreadful drought, known as the Dust Bowl, which swept through the mid-west. The gluttonous landowners and the multitudes of fliers that they passed out made the situation even worse. To top off all of that the nation was going through a terrible depression. At this time the whole nation was changing as a whole. These few main factors led to one of the most widespread waves of migrant workers this country has ever seen.

All of these problems began when the horrific drought called the Dust Bowl tore through the mid-west. Nearly all of the crops perished. The farmers were then forced off of the land they were raised on because the owners of the land couldn’t make any money off of it anymore. Without food to feed their families or money to buy food they were starving. The only answer they could find was the fliers that advertised work in the west.

The leading cause of the migrant situation was the flood of fliers pouring in from California. The western landowners passed out more fliers than they needed jobs to be filled. When the workers arrived they had to work for little pay. They had no choice because there were many other people willing to work for less. When all of the work