At the heart of every immigrant's experience is a dream of hope, which is realized at the end of their trip. Migrants in The Grapes of Wrath had a misunderstanding of the American Dream. They thought the American Dream was a bed of flowers. They believed that once they arrived in the west, jobs and the possibility of becoming wealthy were guaranteed. Yet, they had no clue that this perfect life was a pipe dream and that those who desired it were merely delusory. As such, the book stressed the unfeasible nature of the American Dream, in terms of economic stability, their continuous and erratic changes in employment, and Joads’ ultimate disappointment to find success in California. The hope of an economically assured existence was wrecked by Joads’ migration to California. And just like every immigrant, who hopes for a better life once they reach their destination, the Joad family embarked on the journey towards the west for a better life. Moving to California implied starting anew. Without sitting back to contemplate about the unlikely, the Joads packed their few belongings and headed west. They were so determined to find work and also to enjoy the warm weather (Steinbeck 34). Instead, they were driven by tales that you could reach out for oranges in freestyle (Steinbeck 34). It was such outlandish illustrations that motivated the Joads and the Ilk to journey towards the world of unknown. In reality, these migrants crammed across the country like ants subsisted like swine, and engaged in constant fights like cats. According to Steinbeck, people kept moving because they were in pursuit for something bigger, (p. 28). While people from different nations immigrated to the US to search for a better life, migrants were embroiled in the same pursuit. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that some of the actors came to appreciate the fact that they were chasing the wind. To the Joads family, the pursuit for greener pastures was symptomatic of the problematic golden path- an escape journey from desolation to an indefinite Californian deliverance. In choosing to trade against hopes of an impossible dream for the concrete facts of life, the Joads were faced with a plethora of problems. The pursuers of the American dream would then realize that the American Dream was hard to come by. The Joads, for instance, were unable to find some of the best jobs and the economic standing the craved for. As the Joads attempt to secure meaningful employment became obvious, their financial well-being deteriorated, diminishing the likelihood that the American Dream would ever be realized. The economic turmoil that followed the great depression wrecked the family unit beyond repair. While migrants were determined to find some hope in terms of good jobs, The Grapes of Wrath put a barrier for attaining this prosperity. At that moment, the underprivileged were put in the same category. Migrants failed to earn the trust of employers. The Joads’ would scramble for the same opportunities along the way. The Joads family determination and rivalry from other migrants limited capacity for job opportunities. As depicted in the novel, California was not as it was alleged to be. On the other hand, the American Dream portrayed California as a paradoxical territory; in actual fact, migrants lived in poverty and had to coexist based on the conditions as opposed to how the American Dream was visualized. The American Dream expectations for the Joads were all gone. The events towards the end of the novel present the basis for what the ultimate failure of the Joads had for American Dream and California’s success. The Joads were well aware that the journey to California was not only long but also catastrophic, poverty-stricken and with impossibilities. Nonetheless, the Joads were convinced that in California there were many grapes to pick and that they would also become rich overnight (Steinbeck 83). One of the important advice that the Joads had to be informed is that in California, things were not as they thought. Apart from Tom Joad, Connie and Noah Joad, there were no other characters that came to awareness. The novel represented the hopelessness of the American Dream while defining the harsh reality of the corrupted, dirty and greedy nightmare. The Joads and other migrants realized that not all Americans were kind or generous. Based on the Joads experience, it is clear that the world is full of many greedy persons fending for their needs. On arrival in California, the Joads found that they were not needed and wanted. The challenges, as well as the reality of living in dismal government camps, to loss of family members, failure to get job opportunities, depicted a rugged path to California, contrary to their wishful thinking. The immigrants have impracticable dreams and extravagant expectations may result in bitter disappointments. This is the actual case of the migrants in the Grapes of Wrath. The Joads developed an incredible future in their minds with considerable expectations that emerged fromfamily assurance created from a paradoxical optimistic innocence that quickly crushed as they faced realities. The Joads discovered that life in California was living dead, as such; the newgeneration could not survive there regardless of the good life they imagined. The author wanted to end the novel with a strong depiction of human existence regardless of persistence, social oppressions that contributed to stillbirth, starvation, and destitution. Although the American Dream was impossible in the book, the Joads under the leadership of Ma Joad continued with their heads high (Steinbeck 618). A likely description might be what the Joads were associated with during their trip to California. Despite the odds, they carried with them their past. Although they believed that they were facing a new life, their past caused challenges throughout the trip. The selfishness of the Rose of Sharon led to the stillbirth of a baby and the departure of Connie. In the pursuit of the American Dream, Joad becomes a murder that is then imprisoned for several years. According to his illegal records and cowardliness, this contributed to the hardships his family was going through. At the end, the Joads went separate ways, nonetheless, they were caught by their past in trying to get the best out of life. The Joads were also left penniless and homeless. Each of their dreams was shattered and had no financial security for basic needs. This was also common for another migrant who was hopeful. Throughout the book, the Joads’ hoped for a good life in California. Nevertheless, Steinbeck represented the impossibilities of financial stability using the Joads constant migration, failing to get the American Dream and the unpredictable employment opportunities. The Joads dream related to other migrants moving to the US during that era. Even though the Joads lacked proper intentions for migrating to California, they assumed the aspect that acquiring wealth would not be easy as they anticipated. Instead, they would have analyzed the situation prior to migrating to the West.
Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Books, 1939.
