Prepare a historical analysis of The Grapes of Wrath, identifying and discussing the contemporary problems of the Depression and Dust Bowl, as well as New Deal solutions, as they emerge in the book. Describe the novel’s public and critical reception, considering the historical context in which Steinbeck wrote. Discuss what elements you think caused it to be highly praised and what elements you think caused it to be banned in some communities, given, as Robert DeMott states in the introduction to The Grapes of Wrath, that “few American novels have attracted such passionate attacks and equally passionate defenses.”