"THE MACHINE IN THE GARDEN": ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN STEINBECK'S THE GRAPES OF WRATH

Although primarily a social novel rooted in the human suffering and response to the Great Depression, in this paper John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath will be examined from an environmental point of view. To do so, the paper will first identify parallels between Steinbeck's novel and "the machine in the garden," a theory postulated by Leo Marx in 1964. It will then analyse themes connected with The Grapes of Wrath itself, such as disappearing wilderness in California, or "westering." In conclusion, this paper will suggest that The Grapes of Wrath foretold of America's future environmental crisis.