John Steinbeck's novels cover the grim decade from 1937 to 1947 which oversaw a second world war, the ascendance of fascism and communism, the inadequacies of the capitalism and a global Great Depression. In The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's most controversial work, he challenges big business and dehumanizing social institutions as raising questions regarding human ability to administer natural disasters, systems which deny humans sustenance and dignity. As you consider how Steinbeck's novel speaks to his generation, reflect on whether your generation considerably differs from that of your parents or grandparents. How is our present moment of a great recession stating our generation?