In the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck the Joads’ American Dream is to have a good paying job and place to live. In the book the American Dream is corrupted by greed, exploitation, and lack of compassion. During this time of depression the Joad family can not achieve their American Dream. In the Grapes of Wrath the Joads’ American Dream is corrupted by greed. First, after their crops go bad the bank takes their land from them because they can not pay their loan back. The government will not stand up for them after the bank takes their land from them.
Then, the Joads’ go into town to buy a truck to drive to California and the salesman at the dealership try to squeeze ever dime out of them. Not only do they sell the trucks for an unfair price, but they give them old bad tires. The Joads’ American Dream is exploited by Californians and even by people in Oklahoma. When the family goes into town to sell their things the buyers want buy but for the bare minimum because they know they have to sell because they have to leave.
Then, land owners send out to many fliers attracting way too many workers making harder on everybody. Once they get their, the land owners have policeman watching the workers, and if the workers say anything against the way things are done, they beat them or take them to jail. The Joads’ American Dream corrupted by lack of compassion. When their land is taken away from them, the men who drive the tractors knock their houses over, just for a little extra cash.
When a ton of people show up the land owners cut the wage from ten cents a basket of fruit to five cents a basket, making them all work from dusk till dawn just to get by. The Joads’ family American Dream is corrupted by greed, exploitation, and lack of compassion. Their hardships of this time of despair make it very difficult for the Joads’. Californians and even people from Oklahoma make their attempt for their American Dream unattainable.
