'The Grapes of Wrath' Context Flashcards
1
Q
1929 Wall Street Crash/Great Depression
A
- Following WW1, recession led to a drop in market price of farm crops, leading farmers to become overextended financially + banks exploiting them
- World ridden with poverty, desperation + starvation
- Challenged faith in American Dream + created sense of helplessness
- 30% unemployment rate
2
Q
Dust Bowl
A
- Bad harvests, famine + droughts (droughts due to land being over-worked due to economic pressures)
- Price deflations
- Drew more than 300,000 refugees into California during 1930s
3
Q
New Deal/Camps/Government
A
- President Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ attempted to lift society out of economic depression, providing jobs + increasing opportunity/freedom (Roosevelt said that he would look after the ‘forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid’)
- Steinbeck’s essay ‘Starving Under the Orange Trees’ criticised federal government’s response to mass starvation, commenting that ‘we have treated our minorities abominably’
- Government previously spent too much money under President Truman
- Hooverville camps a nightmare + nicknamed about Herbert Hoover who didn’t believe in government intervention
4
Q
Harvest Gypsies/Okies
A
- The Harvest Gypsies a collection of 7 newspaper articles commenting on utter misery of camps + possible solutions to problem
5
Q
Capitalism
A
- Novel shows failings of a capitalist society (reversal of traditional gender roles, lack of humanity, unequal distribution of wealth, call for class consciousness)
- Steinbeck actively critiquing way in which a capitalist society entrapped its citizens in economic roles
6
Q
Communism
A
- Published during rise of communism
- USA Communist society published infamous pamphlet ‘What is Communism?’ in 1936
- Steinbeck hoped that communalism would win over individualism
7
Q
Women
A
- During 1930s/40s, roles of women in American society increased, with women gaining 2 million jobs despite unemployment steadily rising
8
Q
Religion
A
- Joads compared to Israelites of Old Testament where both must leave home + reach ‘Promised Land’
- Biblical allusion to Moses (baby down river) → epic novel
