Steinbeck grew up in California and many of his novels were set there. His works are based upon the issues of the time and setting. His novels “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Of Mice and Men” are cored around migrant farm workers in California that are affected by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Many of his novels are about society's lowest class during the 30’s, in which he sympathizes with them. Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for his novel, “The Grapes of Wrath”. This novel is about a poor Oklahoma family traveling to California to find a new life during this difficult era. The entire nation was in ruins and felt the

“The Grapes of Wrath” is a reflection of what life was like on the west coast of America during the 1930's. The Dust Bowl had affected all farmers. It was a person struggle for the migrant workers. Joad family was hit as hard as all the others were struggling during this period. In this novel, Tom Joad is returning home from prison and finds his family packing up to move to California. The Joad family is tested during this relocation and some of the family ties fall apart. As many others who traveled to California, the Joads were faced with many issues.

During the time of the Depression, it was difficult to find jobs. Many had to travel to find jobs and had to work strenuous, long hours. In Steinbeck's “Of Mice and Men”, the two main characters are George and Lenny. They are migrant workers searching for job opportunities, migrating from one job to another. In California, they worked as farm hands on various farms. Lenny has mild mental retardation and George is his protector. Together, the friends dream of having land of their own which was very rare during these times.

impact. This novel was inspired by a series of articles he wrote for the San Francisco News.

Writers with talent, such as Steinbeck, help Americans of today to relate to those in our past. Through his writing we can identify with people in history. It helps us to understand the hardships and obstacles they were faced with. We learn to respect the men and women who paved the way and benefit from their mistakes. The writings of Steinbeck display the tragic truth of the 1930’s in which he has the ability to bring the past back to life.

One of the problems was related to over population. There were not enough jobs for the people who migrated to California. The Depression was present in California and they felt the same impact as the Americans on the East coast. Poverty was also an issue that the Joad Family dealt with. With the lack of jobs, the money just wasn’t there. Many were left homeless with no food, shelter and clothing. Steinbeck once said, “First the gasoline gives out. And without gasoline a man cannot go to a job even if he could get one. Then the food goes. And then in the rains, with insufficient food, the children develop colds…"

Some topics in this essay:
Dust Bowl, George Lenny, Jim Casy, Roosevelt Deal, America Lenny, Grapes Wrath”, San Francisco, Mice Men”, Grapes Wrath, Joad Family, joad family, “the grapes, dust bowl, “the grapes wrath”, grapes wrath”, “of mice, “of mice men”, mice men”, meets jim casy, american people, birds fly, stock market, migrant workers,