The Grapes Of Wrath
The people and the Depression
In the movie The grapes of Wrath, the Joads undergo the hit of the depression, they
have to leave their farm. They go to California for jobs, but find there are few jobs,
and it pays little, or at least less then what they were told. The government tried to
start programs to house and employ people like the Joads. Since the people who already
lived in the cities in which these developments were put didn't want them there anyway,
they tried to start a riot and have the police Arrest them. Although in the movie the
plan was foiled, it could have worked in many other places, or the towns folk could have
just created a lynch mob, and eventually the people living in the development would
leave.
I believe that the economic situation of the country has a great effect on the fall, or
succession of people like the Joads, but I don't believe government programs will effect
them at all. For example, the great depression was a major economical event, and it
greatly effected more then just people like the Joads, but programs like the public works
administration which employed people for government construction projects. Another
program, the Works Progress Administration, later called the Works Projects
Administration was created to develop relief programs, and to keep a person's skills.
From 1935-1943, it employed 8 million people, and spent 11 billion dollars. But in 1939,
there were still 9.5 million still unemployed. Another program was the Civilian
Conservation Corps. Unemployed, unmarried young men were enlisted to work on
conservation and resource-development projects such as soil conservation, flood control,
and protection of forests and wildlife. These men were provided with food, lodging, and
other necessities, and were given a small monthly salary. Another program was the CWA,
the civil works administration. It employed more then 4 million workers to build and
repair roads, and teach in schools, were just a couple of the jobs.
Some of these programs would work temporarily, but eventually there would be no more
work to do, or the government would run out of funds. All these programs were hated by
some, and loved by others, and some just didn't care. The business men that were lucky
enough not to lose everything, and the other employees working in the cities who still
had jobs during the depression didn't like these new programs. In the movie, The Grapes
Of Wrath, The towns people didn't like the government funded version of a "Hooverville".
The townspeople, along with the police tired to start a fight during a dance, so the
police could come in, arrest some of the people living there, and say that this new
development wasn't safe for the town, and it would have to be rid of. Fortunately for
them they were able to discover there little plan, and spoiled the plan. But this showed
how much the people in the towns hated these new developments like the Hoovervilles.
Also, I can't recall what town it was in, but when the Joades approached one town border,
the men there said there was no work, and that they would have to turn around, I believe
they even had the police there. This showed how much the people already living in these
towns and cities fear the coming farmers and others that had lost their jobs, for the
townspeople wanted to keep their jobs. I think it would have been smarter for the
government to buy the farms that people like the Joads were being kicked off, that way
they could still work there, and because they only got paid in food and shelter, the
extra food that they made that used to go to their employer would go to the government
which could either be sold for less, or given out in rations to the poor, and homeless.
I believe that Roosevelt had too much power, he was making too many programs that didn't
work. He was throwing money here, and money there to programs designed to employ
people, yet there were still millions of people still employed. I believe if he had less
power, his plans would have been looked over more carefully, and the programs could have
been substantially better.
I believe that the programs created by the government had little affect, and that the
money could have been spent more wisely, and better programs could have been created, but
I do think that the economy has a major impact on the fall, or survival of a family, like
the Joads.
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