The Grapes of Wrath
From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium
The Grapes of Wrath, a novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939, examines the plight of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this novel, Steinbeck focuses on the Joads, a family of sharecroppers forced from their home in Sallisaw, Oklahoma by drought, destitution and amalgamation of family farms into mechanized corporate entities. Like many other desperate families, the Joads embark on a long and treacherous journey to California, where they have been led to believe they will find jobs, land and the dignity they have lost in their plight. The book popularized the word "Okies", which was used to refer to these migrants.
In 1940 it was made into a film, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford, which is included in the United States National Film Registry.
