At the end of chapter 7, you learn that Jess sometimes feels that his life has been as "delicate as a dandelion. One little puff from any direction, and it was blown
to bits." How does this use of figurative language help you better understand
Jess's feelings?

The great depression, which lasted throughout the 1930s in the united states, affected many people, and it had a devastating impact on an entire subset of the u.s. population. modernist writer john steinbeck wrote about the toll the depression took on these families, many of whom were forced to leave their farms and find other sources of income.