The Grapes of Wrath essays

The Grapes of Wrath essays The Grapes of Wrath is quite a compelling movie, filled with many universal truths and observations on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. The movie is based on the John Steinbeck novel and takes place during the Great Depression in the 1930s when a dust bowl was created in Americas heartland because of drought, over farming and loose topsoil. The movie centers on Tom Joad and the Joad familys experiences during this hard time. One of the universal themes in The Grapes of Wrath is mankinds tendency towards greed. In the movie the Joad family is kicked off of their farm where they worked as sharecroppers for at least two generations. The reasons for the move to California vary for the Joads. The changing technology, in the form of huge tractors that can work the land more efficiently and more cheaply than the sharecroppers can, and the Great Depression of the 1930s cause the big companies that own the land to release the sharecroppers from there homes in an attempt to make the land turn a bigger profit, making the owners of the company richer. But, Murley, the man who stayed behind, hiding among the deserted farms, tells us that it is not that simple. The companies have to use the new tractor technology or they will go bankrupt, leaving their land to be bought by another company who will have to do the same thing to make sure they do not go bankrupt as well. Murley finds it hard to blame a nyone in particular and so has no outlet for his anger at being left with no place to live. Greed also affects the Joad family, when after having their dreams of finding jobs in California shattered, they take work wherever they can get it. Where they can get it, turns out to be a farm where they compete for fruit picking jobs with many other families at well under a fair wage. The farm owners, after luring in the families with a set ...