Migrant Labor: A Glimmer of Hope

After a hard day's work in the vegetable fields, migrant workers stand in wait for their pay. Their earnings were likely lower than what could have been considered a sustainable wage, but desparate times call for desparate measures. The image was captured by Marion Wolcott in 1939.

In John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, we see the Joad's nest egg for the road to California get smaller and smaller, and by the time they got there, it was hardly enough for them to get by for very long. Many real-life migrants would have been envious of the amount of funds and supplies that the Joads still had upon arrival. Most refugees had but one chance—to find a job (any job) as quickly as possible, lest they would have to resort to stealing, in order to stave off the starvation. Resilience was a key factor for these migrants; they needed strength of spirit and mind in order to brave the difficulties of migrant life. Ma presented a sound example of this resilient state of mind in Steinbeck’s novel. Migrant families were bound to take some hits along the way, but it was important that they didn’t give up; they would have to bounce back and try, try again. Synonymous with characters such as Noah Joad and Connie from the novel, those who couldn’t stand through the struggles were bound to fade away—to disappear.

"I'm Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad," originally written and composed by Woody Guthrie, and performed by Gussie Ward of Arvin Camp on August 1, 1940.