The Grapes of Wrath- The Dust Bowl

One major historical event that occurred in the book 'The Grapes of Wrath' is the dust bowl. The dust bowl is a storm that occurred in the early nineteen thirties. It was a series of dust storms that were the result of a terrible drought and poor farming techniques. The dust bowl occurred in many parts of America and Canada. There had not been any rain for a very long time, so the soil in fields had no moisture to weigh it down. Also, farmers did not have a lot of knowledge on farming techniques so they did not rotate their crops. Rotating crops is an important part of farming. It is when farmers switch the type of crop that they plant in a certain field every other season. By doing this, farmers are able to keep the soil healthier. Farmers did not know about this in the nineteen thirties, so the soil was unhealthy with no moisture. When the wind began to pick up, it lifted the soil in the fields and blew it everywhere. This is what has come to be known as the dust bowl. The dust that was lifted off of the ground and thrown around had buried the crops that were being planted and destroyed them. Since all of the crops were destroyed, people did not have any food to eat and farmers did not have an income. The dust storm came at a time that was also known as 'The Great Depression'. This is a time period in the world known for terrible economic times. Many people were having a very tough time keeping a job and the dust bowl did not help in these situations at all. The Dust Bowl caused many people to be kicked out of their homes and have to move cross country in search of a job so they could provide for their families. This was a very desperate time for many American farmers.


Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.