"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck

"...Sometimes, a guy'll be a good guy even if some rich bastard makes him carry a sticker," (11) says Tom Joad as the reader is introduced to him. Right away, one learns what kind of man Tom is. He's obviously kind and giving, and he expects it from everyone else around him. In John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, the reader is introduced to the entire Joad family from Oklahoma. It is not surprising to learn that every member of the Joad family is identical to Tom in their ways of kindness and generosity. The Joads, like most other families in Oklahoma, are moving west to California. The novel is set during the Great Depression when thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed in the mid-western United States. Along their journey west, the Joads encounter many people, some of whom are in need of help and the Joads are quick to assist them each time. …