The Grapes of Wrath exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America faced during the 1930's. In the central part of the United States of America, there was an area called "The Dust Bowl," because of its lack of rain. Here drought and poverty combined to withdraw many farmers from their land. The Grapes of Wrath is a story of the Joad family, who were ejected from their farm by natural disasters and economic changes beyond their control. They traveled a great journey in search of peace, security, and another home. The film illustrates how the Joad family deals with their journey to California, how they survive the cruelty of the landowners that take advantage of them, and their poverty and willingness to work. In the beginning of the film, Tom Joad is hitchhiking on his way home to his family's sharecropping farm. Tom had just completed serving a short prison term. Like the other migrant farmers, the Joads lost their land and their hope for a comfortable future. They were evicted from their land due to foreclosure, and they had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. Ma Joad had to decide which of her possessions to keep and which to leave behind before evacuating her farm. Old Grandpa Joad stubbornly rebels to leave his land; losing the land was as if he was losing his family history. The bank took possession of the land because the owners could not pay off the loan. Making the journey from the Midwest to California was not an easy task. The family set out to find wealth and privileges in California. Tom Joad sees an advertisement for picking grapes and he launches on this opportunity. Grandpa, the oldest member of the Joad family, talks of the grapes as symbols of plenty. Tired and weak, elderly Grandpa is the first to die on the journey to California. Grandma is deathly ill, and the old lady dies in Ma's lap. For the remainder of the film, the Joads are forc...