The novel illustrates the diginity and spirit of man in desperate circumstances. It follows the fictional Joad family on their journey from Oklahoma's “dust bowl” of the 1930's to the “promised land” of California. The Joads, like hundreds of thousands of farmers and sharecroppers in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and other states, were driven off the land during the “dust bowl” and Depression.
The novel was controversial when it was published. Banned in certain places inthe United States, it was burned twice in Salinas.
Steinbeck was extremely angry about the plight of the migrant workers. He knew the conditions in the camps and had seen the people suffering. He saw people starving in Visalia. The author made four trips to the migrants, getting to know the people. He learned their speech patterns, reactions, expressions and stories first-hand. (http://www.steinbeck.org/Grapes.html)
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