Abstract

The Grapes of Wrath was one of the greatest novels widely considered to be a 20th-century classic, drawing a lively picture of American people’s life at that time. The book is deeply associated with human life on lowest levels. Set during the Great Depression, the novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family who were tenant farmers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought and economic hardship. It is an epic about the migration of the Joads family, driven from its bit of land from Oklahoma to California, which provoked a wide debate about the hard of migrant laborers, and helped to put an agriculture reform into effect. Due to their nearly hopeless situation and in part because they were trapped in the Dust Bowl, the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity, and a future.
This paper consists of three parts. It firstly deals with the creative background, followed by the discussion about social condition and authors’ life. Then, it analyzes the social issues existed at that time, covering the main contradiction in society and American dream. Finally, it tells the great significance, including good performance of great women at that time and inspiring ideas in the book, the migrant workers’ influence and so on.

Key words: The Grapes of Wrath; the joads; migrant; significance

摘  要

《愤怒的葡萄》是美国最伟大的小说之一，堪称20世纪的经典之作。它生动形象地描绘了当时美国人民生活的画面。该书与生活在最底层的人民的生活息息相关。以经济大萧条为背景，该书着眼于乔德一家，他们是佃户，贫困的农民，迫于干旱和艰苦而离开家乡俄克拉荷马州。它是一部关于乔德一家移民的史诗，他们从俄克拉荷马州到加州，引发了广泛的关于移民劳动力的争论，并且帮助农业改革得到实施。因为他们毫无希望的处境，以及干旱，乔德一家出发去加州，跟其他许多州民一起，他们寻找工作，土地，尊严和未来。
这篇论文分为3个部分。第一部分讲到创作背景，将会讨论社会背景以及作者的亲身经历；第二个部分会着重分析当时社会出现的社会问题，包括社会主要矛盾和所谓的美国梦。最后一个部分主要是讲述其伟大意义，包括当时女性伟大的行为，书中鼓舞人心的思想，以及移民劳动力的影响等。

关键词:《愤怒的葡萄》；乔德一家；移民；意义