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The Grapes Of Wrath

farm subsidies: a necessary evil?
Subsidies are payments, economic concessions, or privileges given by the
government to favor businesses or consumers. In the 1930s, subsidies were designed to
favor agriculture. John Steinbeck expressed his dislike of the farm subsidy system of
the United States in his book, The Grapes of Wrath. In that book, the government gave
money to farms so that they would grow and sell a certain amount of crops. As a result,
Steinbeck argued, many people starved unnecessarily. Steinbeck examined farm subsidies
from a personal level, showing how they hurt the common man. Subsidies have a variety
of other problems, both on the micro and macro level, that should not be ignored. Despite
their benefits, farm subsidies are an inefficient and dysfunctional part of our economic
system.
The problems of the American farmer arose in the 1920s, and various methods
were introduced to help solve them. The United States still disagrees on how to solve
the continuing problem of agricultural overproduction. In 1916, the number of people living
on farms was at its maximum at 32,530,000. Most of these farms were relatively small
(Reische 51). Technological advances in the 1920's brought a variety of effects. The
use of machinery increased productivity while reducing the need for as many farm laborers.
The industrial boom of the 1920s drew many workers off the farm and into the cities.
Machinery, while increasing productivity, was very expensive. Demand for food, though,
stayed relatively constant (Long 85). As a result of this, food prices went down. The
small farmer was no longer able to compete, lacking the capital to buy productive
machinery. Small farms lost their practicality, and many farmers were forced to
consolidate to compete. Fewer, larger farms resulted (Reische 51). During the
Depression, unemployment grew while income shrank. "An extended drought had
aggravated the farm...