How is The Grapes of Wrath relevant to readers today?How has the novel influenced American society and culture as we know it?

The Grapes of Wrath is a novel which
is set during the great depression and follows the journey of the Joads, a family hit
hard by the dust bowl who sells or packs all their belongings and seeks work out in
California.

Although America has not known hardship as
severe as the difficulty of The Great Depression since that time, many might argue that
the recession we are currently in as a nation and a world is as close as we've come to
history repeating itself.  Therefore, now, more than ever, the themes and ideas
presented in The Grapes of Wrath are relevant.  I think, among
other things, you could make direct comparisons of the conditions presented in the novel
now to the problems facing illegal immigrants in our country and hardships as a result
of the Great Depression to the hardships today as a result of the
recession.

First, there are the ideas presented about the
working conditions and lives of migrant workers.  At the time the book was published,
the way the truth was presented was considered highly controversial and even somewhat
offensive.  Ironically, people were in shock and awe concerning the poverty presented in
this novel.  Today, we are looking at very similar conditions for immigrant workers -
similar levels of poverty, similar levels of difficulty and
despair.

Consider also the class conflicts presented in the
novel.  The "haves" versus the "have-nots" (this book of course focuses on the
have-nots) will always be a conflict our country faces.  Think about the media driven
stories of the lack of a middle class or the widening gap between the rich and the
poor.  While the situations are decidedly different, the results (emotional and
physical) are very much the same.  The novel presents this conflict and its
consequences.

Finally, the idea of hope can be compared to
today.  Then and now, during times of trouble, America seems to remain true to it's
motto "The Land of Opportunity."  Even today, people have not forgotten that.  Despite
the obvious tone of depression in the novel, there is an ever-present hope that things
will always improve.  Our country today maintains that hope - and works through national
difficulty because of that hope.