The theme of man versus the environment in The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions in which the migratory farm families of 1930s America lived under. The novel tells of a family's migration west to California during the great economic depression of the 1930s. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihood. They had to uproot and drift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners were unable to repay the loan. The novel shows how the Joad family copes with the move to California. How they survive the cruelty of landowners who take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck's adoration of the earth, his simple hatred of the corruption resulting from materialism (money), and his abiding faith in ordinary people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a preserving image of nature on a rampage. The novel shows men and women who are not broken by nature. The theme is that of man against a hostile environment. His body is broken but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel, from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented in the novel, it shows examples of the good and bad things that exist in the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing drought-stricken Oklahoma farmers. It is said that dust covers everything, choking the life out of anything that wants to grow. Dust is the symbol of the erosion of people's lives. Dust is synonymous with "death". The land is ruined, the way of life (agriculture) has disappeared, people are uprooted and forced to leave. Second, the dust represents the speculative banks in the background squeezing the life out of the land, forcing people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers) have been drained of life and are being exploited:The last rain fell on the red and gray Oklahoma countryside in early May. The weeds turned dark green to protect themselves from the sun's unyielding rays.