The Grapes of Wrath

I last read this book several decades ago when I was in high school. I had put off re-reading it because I remembered it as a hard book emotionally. After decades of life experience, I didn't find it to be the gut punch it was when I was a teenager, but I still wore the book somewhat. What I either didn't remember or, more likely, didn't comprehend about this book years ago was just how important Ma Joad is to the story. The importance of women not only in a family but in dealing with life as it comes is emphasized by Steinbeck beautifully. The one thing I remembered from my first reading was the final scene with Rose of Sharon. I cried then and I cried again today about how it emphasized the humanity of these characters. I believe it show more was Ma Joad earlier in the book who declared (and I paraphrase), "Only the poor will help the poor." The book is both about man's inhumanity to man and man's humanity to man, and the need to keep forging ahead without knowing which of those you will face next. show less

In The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck tells the story of one family, the Joads, who have been evicted from their dry Oklahoma land during the Great Depression and have been forced to choose to migrate to California where there are supposedly jobs for the taking in a veritable land of milk and honey. Steinbeck introduces us to the Joads as they hopefully make ready to travel the width of the country in a cobbled together jalopy with what little money they were able to get from selling off most of their belongings. In dialogue rich with realistic dialect, we come to know Tom, recently paroled from prison for killing a man; his Pa, a man nearly beaten down from his circumstances; Ma, a woman with an iron will who will stop at nothing to keep show more her family from falling apart; his sister pregnant Rose of Sharon whose husband is full of dreams for their future; and Uncle John who has spent a lifetime trying to face or escape his imagined sin. Through the pages, readers come to an intimate knowledge of the family as they head west helping who they can though they are struggling to make it themselves. It's perhaps because readers come to know and love the family in all its strengths and its failings that makes The Grapes of Wrath a difficult read to swallow.

There is absolutely no subtlety nor any particular artfulness to be found in the Joads' story. Never for a moment do readers need to wonder where Steinbeck stands on the events that are taking place. Steinbeck is more than eager to hammer his points home as he preachily derides the corporate farmers whose tractors and hired hands eliminate the connection between men and the land that sustains them. He flays California landowners whose vast fields of hardy crops do nothing for the migrants starving for lack of work. He paints heavy handed pictures of people starving in Hoovervilles even while farmers discard crops to maintain prices.

If, indeed, there is art in Steinbeck's American classic, it lives in the alternating chapters where Steinbeck interrupts his telling of the Joads' journey, to generalize the very much shared experience of the thousands of migrants who fled to California during the Depression. In them, he captures the haggling for a junk car, the staggering number of people heading west fed only on dreams, the growing anger of powerless men, the etiquette of camping, and even the dances that give struggling families a break, however brief, from their sufferings. In these chapters, Steinbeck lets the many voices be heard, he paints pictures with dialogue, and his words even carry the very rhythm of the dance.

There are many things to like and to dislike about The Grapes of Wrath. It is preachy, heavy handed, depressing, frustrating, perhaps even exaggerated, but it is also a profound, and perhaps even hopeful story, of a family's strength in the face of unbelievable struggle. Steinbeck's writing gives poetry to populism, and even now, The Grapes of Wrath has the enduring power to cause the righteous anger that can bring about change that so much of society still desperately needs. show less

I've just finished reading John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath for the fourth time. Much has been said about the symbolism and political messages in this literary masterpiece, but what I focused on and enjoyed most this time were the inner chapters that on previous readings I had found somewhat annoying. These chapters are rich with insight, imagery and poetry. Here is an excerpt from one about playing the harmonica which I especially enjoyed because I play the harmonica myself:

"A harmonica is easy to carry. Take it out of your hip pocket, knock it against your palm to shake out the dirt and pocket fuzz and bits of tobacco. Now it's ready. You can do anything with a harmonica: thin reedy single tone, or chords or melody with rhythm show more chords. You can mold the music with curved hands, making it wail and cry like bagpipes, making it full and round like an organ, making it as sharp and bitter as the reed pipes of the hills. And you can play and put it back in your pocket. It is always with you, always in your pocket. And as you play, you learn new tricks, new ways to mold the tone with your hands, to pinch the tone with your lips, and no one teaches you."

Another of the many facets that I appreciate about John Steinbeck's writing is his understanding and love of nature. He frequently references nature in his symbolism to convey the hardships of the migrants. A classic example is chapter 3 about the turtle crossing the road which can be said to be symbolic of the entire novel.

Here is a beautiful excerpt from chapter 25 which describes how spring comes to California:

"The prunes lengthen like little green bird's eggs, and the limbs sag down against the crutches under the weight. And the hard little pears take shape, and the beginning of the fuzz comes out on the peaches. Grape blossoms shed their tiny petals and the hard little beads become green buttons, and the buttons grow heavy."

There are so many books I want to read that I find it hard to justify reading any one more than once. This is the only book I have read four times, and it probably won't be the last. show less

The Grapes of Wrath is one of Americas greatest novels. Set during the middle of the great depression, it follows the history of the Joad family as they are forced to leave their farm in Oklahoma as a result of both the dust bowl catastrophe and the desire of banks to consolidate farms into bigger corporate farms. As climate and economic refugees, the family expects to find California to be a land of milk and honey with plenty of money to be earned picking fruit. Instead, they are confronted with violence and the exploitation of the California farmers who realize that there are so many people desperate for work that they only need to offer starvation wages.

Although written many years ago, the story has interest for people today since it show more deals with climate change and economic exploitation. As such, it would be a useful addition to a course on Critical Economic Theory. It also offers up universal themes of family and fortitude. The book leaves the reader with vivid, long-lasting images and portraits of the main characters. show less

I am perhaps digging my own grave by giving a negative review to the well-respected Steinbeck, but Grapes of Wrath is a sore disappointment. Steinbeck's epic is a thinly disguised forum for political, social, and religious dialogue. Unlike great literature, which can address any number of complexities or issues in the context of a larger narrative, Steinbeck presents a only a set of ideas and bends flat characters and a thin plot around these views. His characters are intended only for metaphorical interpretation and offer little substance.

Steinbeck's "interchapters," which portray misery through broad, sweeping claims (without engaging any of the main characters or advancing the plot), are the book's most interesting portions, despite show more the emotional manipulation that they set forth. To add insult to injury, the novel itself is barely literary. It feels as though Steinbeck is following a checklist of what to include in a novel. (Foreshadowing? Check. Symbolism? Check. Conflict? You betcha.) This would be bad enough by itself, but it isn't even done subtly. Steinbeck might as well have put up neon signs pointing out the literary devices used. He seems to cram as much into the novel as he can, only for the sake of including, rather than for any intrinsic merit. Finally, the messages themselves are somewhat strange. The tone of much of the novel can be described as guilt-mongering - Steinbeck's characters are in a particularly bleak situation, victimized by the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and capitalist land owners - and the readers are made to feel guilty for something that others have done. At the risk of repeating myself, this guilt comes from the narrator's direct condemnations, not through the reader's own understanding of the text or connection with the characters.

Moreover, the book has many religious themes - from the prose style, which imitates the text of the Old Testament, to the very title, which alludes to Revelation - yet the religious "messages" are quite sacrilegious. The main protagonist's epiphany comes from rejecting traditional doctrines (even the idea that all humans have a soul) in exchange for looser, pseudo-Christian ideals. The characters in the text who support traditional ideals are either evil hypocrites or in the case of the heroes (specifically, Granma) laughable, foolish, and senile because of their naive ignorance. This book does not present ideas in an intellectual fashion; it is not worthy to be counted among the greats. I am not criticizing the inclusion of a set of ideas, or even of the Marxist, communist, or religious undertones. I am criticizing Steinbeck's absolute failure write a story with a moral. He opts, instead, for a moral disguised as a story. show less

I never wanted to read this book. Boring, non-sense title, too recent history, dislike of modern authors- need any more excuses? Well, this was another of my mom's favorites that I felt obligated to read and as is the burgeoning pattern, she was right. Again.

I am from Oklahoma, my great grandmother lived through the dust bowl, and this is my history. After reading this, I'm even more proud to call myself an Okie. It was originally a derogative term, but I think they got it wrong. The Okies may have been displaced, dirty, poor and unwanted- but they were fighters who believed in the sacredness of family, pride and work. They were put down, kicked, and starved- but they fought hard for their survival and I don't think there is anything show more dishonorable about that.

This all came out in The Grapes of Wrath, in the earthy characters of the Joad family and the other good but put-out people they met. I thought it was especially poignant considering what is going on economically now. We have made a full circle straight back to the time period being written about. You could easily update the story by changing the professions, but little else need be touched. Disheartening, if you let it be.

As to the book; it is written with long chapters encapsulating story telling about the family's travails, followed by shorter, wispy descriptions the atmosphere in which it all takes place. How others in society are finding things, the weather conditions that are relevant to what is going on, etc. It gives great depth to your understanding of what is happening even if you previously knew nothing about the era. The book is absolutely complete if you want to know about the subject.

What isn't complete is the saga of the family. I got so into the story that I wanted to know if they ever escaped their predicament. As I got near the end of the book, I realized I was not going to find out how people came out the end. I thought maybe there would be a clue as to how we, today, would find the light at the end of the tunnel, but there was no answer- except that we are all still here after this happened to our ancestors, meaning we survive. Even without answers, the ending was a shock for me. I have to admit to being repulsed at the last scene. The action left me sick to my stomach, for what was physically happening, but if you can get over that you realize it was well intentioned and noble, I suppose. Someone giving the very last thing they have to help someone else survive. The story is worth every one of those five stars. If you think you aren't interested, read it anyway. show less

Deep breath in, deep breath out. WHAT a book. I hadn't read it in years, maybe decades, and it grabbed me hard this time and didn't let go. The social commentary, the resounding themes (the power of community to create action and protection and connection; the new promised land, with its martyrs and messiahs and disciples; the othering of immigrants... complete with insular, ego-inflated cops enforcing scurrilous laws meant to keep "undesirables" out), the heartbreak and the bits of joy, the living history.

Steinbeck, a native of California agricultural country, meticulously researched this book, traveling among farm laborers, going to the camps where they lived, and meeting and interviewing them. It was written not with hindsight but in show more the very thick of the Depression and the migration it describes, and it brings with it an immediacy and strength and *punch* as a result. The themes resonate through the decades, both to illuminate the struggle and injustice faced by Dust Bowl migrants, and to cast an unflinching look at the ways our society has not changed. (For Sam Brown belt and star, substitute black face mask and ICE lettering.) We will other each other; we will attempt to suppress the kind of organization that would threaten the Holy Church of Capitalism; we will find connection in surprising ways and times.

As I read and listened this time through, in middle age with an education and a career that are social-services adjacent, I kept being grateful and protective for the safety nets that we have been able to build (SNAP and Medicaid especially).

There's no need to say *again* what a genius of a writer was John Steinbeck, but my gosh, it's hard not to get wild-eyed about the way his books can elevate you, dig into your soul, punch you in the gut, make you see your world in a new way. It's hard not to walk up to you and shove the book into your hands and tell you how the hamburger stand chapter made me cry as much as the flood chapter did, how the end that you thought was frankly weird in high school is the epitome of everything he had to say in the whole rest of the book.

gaaah. Deep breath in, deep breath out. show less