The Grapes of Wrath: Californians Prejudice Against Immigrants Prejudice is a strong word. It's the kind of word that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One of Steinbeck's themes in the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is prejudice against migrant workers by financially successful Californians. Steinbeck provides four clear examples of prejudice; the man whose children starved, the story of fishing, the California police officer, and the story of Californians. On the way to California, the Joads met other people who had already been to California and were now returning. One such encounter, with the ragged man with the sunburnt face, is described on page 242. The ragged man had children who died because wages were too low and work was too scarce to afford food for his children. children and wife. Her story was one of pain and desperation and was evidence of the cruel and inhumane treatment resulting from California farmers' prejudice against migrant workers. Later, the Joads stop near a river where Tom and his father find a place to go swimming. Two men, a man and his son, who asked if they could also join them in swimming, immediately join them. The men begin to talk and it is revealed that the other two men have just arrived from California. They tell a story describing the conditions as very unsafe and uncomfortable and mentioning prejudice against the workers. Subsequently the Joads also paid no heed to this warning. So they continued their journey, only to encounter a very impartial police officer. The police officer gave the Joads first-hand experience of the prejudice Californians had against migrant workers. The policeman treated the migrants without respect. This officer, who no doubt had sworn an oath to uphold the law and promote the public good, would have been happier to see the Joads disappear from the face of the earth than to see them in California. The corollary chapter nineteen deals with the history of California. How it was solved by the feverish Americans. Through these descriptions we can begin to understand Californians' prejudice against migrant workers. The chapter describes the land's first owners, the Mexicans, as "weak and fed." This description would suggest that Mexicans were like well-fed cattle.