Dusty Bowl Pt. 3

The Joads have really hit some hard times on their journey to California. Their dog, Granma, and Granpa died. Connie abandons Rose of Sharon. Casey is arrested by the police. The family gets chased out of the camp by the end of chapter twenty-one. It all seems pretty bleak for the family. Why is that? Why cannot Steinbeck’s characters have a happy life in California? The answers are not new to the whole history of mankind. One key answer is their background. The Joads come from rural Oklahoma. So, they lived in the heart of the Dust Bowl. They do not seem to have much education about the outside world or everything about the city. Because of this, the Joads get taken advantage of all too easily. The rich all look down upon the family because of their background. In fact, one quote goes, “The local people whipped themselves into a mold of cruelty. Then they formed units, squads, and armed them—armed them with clubs, with gas, with guns. We own the country. We can’t let these Okies get out of hand.” (Pg. 283) Cleary, there is no love for the Okies living in the great state of California. It all reminds me of the immigration conflict that we have in the US today.