Volume V Special Issue VI December 2025

Name of Author : Dr. Sr. Manju Jacob, Sr. Chakkoria Deena David

Title of the paper : From Farmland to Flight: Climate Refugee Narratives in The Grapes of Wrath

Abstract: The paper From Farmland to Flight Climate Refugee Narratives in The Grapes of Wrath analyzes John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath as an early and compelling narrative of climate induced displacement. Although the term climate refugee is modern, the Dust Bowl migrants in the novel embody the same conditions experienced by environmentally displaced populations today. Through an ecocritical reading of Steinbecks depiction of drought, soil exhaustion, and ecological collapse, the study argues that the Joad family and thousands like them were forced into migration by environmental degradation intensified through human made agricultural and economic systems. Drawing on climate migration theory and environmental history, the paper demonstrates how unsustainable farming practices, severe drought, and the capitalist structures of land ownership collectively produce a crisis that transforms citizens into climate refugees. By examining themes of land loss, identity erosion, exploitation, and forced mobility, this research positions The Grapes of Wrath as a foundational climate refugee narrative that mirrors present day global displacement. Ultimately, the paper highlights Steinbecks relevance to contemporary climate justice debates and emphasizes the need to recognize historical forms of ecological displacement as part of the broader genealogy of climate migration.

Keywords : Climate refugees, Ecological Displacement, Environmental Justice, Forced Migration and Climate Fiction.

DOI :

Page Number : 16-19