Grapes of Wrath Travel Journel:Chapters 1-10 assignment A

The 1930s was a delicate time in America's economy, social and geographical aspects. After the 1929 stock crash in New York, many people were left without jobs and were struggling to pay for necessities such as rent or even everyday groceries. This economic downfall became known as the Great Depression and especially affected the farmers in the Mid-West. In the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck the poverty and destitution could be observed from the abandoned farm buildings or the description of the amount of dust on the roads and sometimes in houses.

An abandoned car amidst dust and ruin 

In addition, many dust storms began to plague the farmers of the Mid-West; some reaching 2 miles high. It unleashed thousands of grasshoppers throughout the area and one estimate concluded there was an incident that had 23,000 insects per acre. These horrible conditions made life considerably hard for individuals trying to make a living. Many did not leave this area in hope that things would eventually get better. Choking billows of dust would ruin their chances of escape for these dust storms could trap people indoors for days or even weeks. Many just ate beans or flan in order to receive little nutrition or would attempt at tricking their bodies by putting a little bone marrow in their water to make it seem like they were getting sustenance. Life was not easy in the 1930s and many suffered for sure.

Sources: History channel Wikipedia