To the Joads, happiness is a new life in California. They no longer have enough money for the most basic necessities in life while living in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, the banks forced the Joads and thousands of others off their land. The Dust Bowl drought also had killed all the farmer's crops and the land had lost its richness. The Joad family travels west to California

so they could move on to a better place with more security available with more land, money, and job opportunities. They are a proud family and they want to get away and show people they could do some good for themselves.

The Joad family prepares to move to California in hopes that they will find job opportunities and escape the Dust Bowl drought. As they leave Oklahoma, they must endure the long trip to come. While traveling to California, they must deal with the death of their grand father soon after their departure. Truck problems also are regular occurrences and the penetrating heat tires the family. They are warned by others prior to their arrival of the possibility of there being no room for newcomers other than in the temporary shantytowns. Even still, the family never gives up on achieving their happiness and reaching California despite the struggles t

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dust Bowl, Jim Casey, Joad Family, California Joad, Tom Joad, , joad family, Oklahoma Oklahoma, job opportunities, life california, dust bowl drought, shantytowns family, bowl drought, dust bowl, california hopes,
Approximate Word count = 583
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)