JohnSteinbeck and Grapes of wrath

California . Though the study does not , of course , quote the article word for word , it did serve as a significant source of ideas and concepts regarding the presentation and central theme to be found in Grapes of Wrath . It can be considered one of the central sources utilized in this study

Johnson , Claudia Durst . Understanding the Grapes of Wrath : A Student Casebook to Issues

Sources and Historical Documents , Westport , CT : Greenwood Press , 1999

Unlike the other sources , Johnson 's book is less of a literary analysis than a discussion of the

social conditions of the country during the 1930s . The book , at first , seems rather similar to the one by Cynthia Burkhead . Upon reading it , however , one realizes its significance as a source for this study as well . Whereas Burkhead 's was , in essence , a discussion of Steinbeck and his novels , Johnson focuses on the concepts and issues raised by Grapes of Wrath . Much detail is given to the infamous struggle between the elite farmers of California and the migrant workers . Without becoming a recitation of facts , Johnson 's book provides pertinent details that bring life to the events in the novel

Some key issues discussed by Johnson are the economic situation of the 1930s , the case of the migrant laborers and the lawlessness of the period . These issues are then related to the events in Steinbeck 's novel , thereby presenting a real-world aspect to the fictional novel The book is significant to this study primarily because of its ability to draw parallels between the events of the period and the events in the novel . It lends credence to the novel and also provides greater insight on the character of Steinbeck as a crusader for the plight of the migrant workers . It is , in effect , a holistic presentation of the...