<human>:  I have a question about the novel The Grapes of Wrath by Joseph Buck. When did the novel take place?
<bot>: The novel takes place in the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1939. The Great Depression was a worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. It was caused by a combination of factors, including the stock market crash of 1929, the failure of the banking system, and the collapse of the agricultural sector.