(Assignment B) Highway 66 Chapters 16-19

During the Depression, around 300,000+ people migrated to California to escape the extreme dust bowls. Highway 66 is the main road migrants traveled on and the Joad's took this road to show the many problems they will face on 66. They are forced to get by this disastrous route in order to get to the promised land. This may foreshadow how hard the work is in California because it will be a challenging life with so many people competing with each other in order to get a job. 

America's Glory Road

Many refer to it as the 'Road to Opportunity.' It was paved through many towns running through, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and finally ending in California. It is a total distance of 2,400 miles starting in Chicago and ending in California. 

The Mother Road

For many decades, Route 66 was the main street of America. Steinbeck incorporated it into the Joad's journey as a symbol of opportunity but also showing that they have to get through a number of odd events in order to get there. The readings show how optimistic the Joad's were even though they came across many bitter events. 

Route 66 Map