▁Georgia ▁share cro ppers . ▁It ▁was ▁dram at ized ▁for ▁Broadway ▁by ▁Jack ▁Kirk land ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 3 , ▁and ▁ran ▁for ▁eight ▁years ; ▁as ▁of ▁ 2 0 1 4 , ▁it ▁was ▁still ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁longest - running ▁Broadway ▁show ▁in ▁history ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁being ▁the ▁second - long est ▁running ▁non - mus ical ▁ever ▁on ▁Broadway . ▁ ▁A ▁ 1 9 4 1 ▁film ▁version , ▁deliber ately ▁played ▁mainly ▁for ▁laugh s , ▁was ▁directed ▁by ▁John ▁Ford , ▁and ▁the ▁story line ▁was ▁consider ably ▁alter ed . ▁The ▁novel ▁was ▁included ▁in ▁Life ▁ ▁magazine ' s ▁list ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 0 0 ▁out standing ▁books ▁of ▁ 1 9 2 4 – 1 9 4 4 . ▁ ▁Plot ▁introduction ▁Tob acco ▁Road ▁is ▁set ▁in ▁rural ▁Georgia , ▁several ▁miles ▁outside ▁August a ▁during ▁the ▁worst ▁years ▁of ▁the ▁Great ▁De pression . ▁It ▁dep ict s ▁a ▁family ▁of ▁poor ▁white ▁ten ant ▁far mers , ▁the ▁L esters , ▁as ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁many ▁small ▁Southern ▁cot ton ▁far mers ▁made ▁redundant ▁by ▁the ▁industrial ization ▁of ▁production ▁and ▁the ▁migration ▁into ▁cities . ▁The ▁main ▁character ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁is ▁Je eter ▁L ester , ▁an ▁ignor ant ▁and ▁sin ful ▁man ▁who ▁is ▁re de emed ▁by ▁his ▁love ▁of ▁the ▁land ▁and ▁his ▁faith ▁in ▁the ▁fert ility ▁and ▁promise ▁of ▁the ▁soil . ▁ ▁Plot ▁summary ▁Lov