The American Dream In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

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In The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the migrants thought that the American Dream was a simple concept to obtain: that you go west, you get a job, and you become rich. However, they did not realize that this ideal life wasn’t as possible as they once believed. The thought of doing so corrupted the minds of those in search of this ideal life. The Grapes of Wrath, has the theme of a community needing to come together to overcome the hardships that are thrown at them day-by-day in hopes of seeing another day. The reason of his theme is shown by individuals and how they affected the family as a whole. John Steinbeck also emphasizes how hard the American Dream is to achieve because of economic instability. While the Joads’ were on the road …show more content…
All the migrants learned that not all Americans shared the same qualities as they might have such as being humane, kind, or appreciative. The family's experience showed the world was full of greedy people who only defended themselves. Their continuing hardships and also facing reality of life such as staying in a dismal government camp, losing family members, and not being able to attain work, showed that California and the road to get their was not what they planned it would …show more content…
They traveled to California, in belief that they’d find economic prosperity with ease. However, John Steinbeck portrayed how impossible the American Dream of financial stability is while migrating, and how unpredictable changes in jobs are, and obviously, their failure to attain the American Dream. After the Great Depression, which is the timeline this novel is based on, the economy was low and financial security was nearly impossible. While the Joads intentions for moving to California was for the better, they seemed to disregard the fact that gaining what they once had would not be as easy as they envisioned. Overall, each person contributed to a factor of why the family struggled when they really needed to stick together to be able to achieve any dream they may have
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