Review of The Grapes of Wrath

Review of “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

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The Grapes of Wrath is a staple of classic American literature capturing the struggles of Americans during the Great Depression of the 1930's. The book has been assigned reading by many high school students in America, but I never read it in high school. We read other works of Steinbeck instead, like Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row and The Pearl. I enjoyed those readings, so now decades later I've decided to finally catch up on this classic novel. The title “the Grapes of wrath” is a reference to a Civil War song by Julia Ward Howe's, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The actual line is “He is trampling out the vintage where grapes of wrath are stored”. This also alludes to a biblical verse talking about wine and the wrath of god. In the context of the story the grapes represent the fields of fruit and cotton that the Joads are trying to get work at. The wrath is the struggles that the Joads encounter every step of the way.

Going into reading this I assumed the story would take place mostly in California and we would see the Joad family spend more time at the tent camps. What I didn't expect is the intermission chapters been the main family's story. Every other chapter is shorter and tells a similar experience to what happens to the Joad's but from unidentified characters. The third chapter center's around a tortoise trying to cross the road. The tortoise represents the plight of the farmers and overcoming obstacles and hardships in life (Sparknotes.com). During the dust bowl that plagued Oklahoma and other states in the 1930's. Steinbeck spent months and years doing research of the migrant farm workers. While the characters in the book are fictional, their circumstances were very real for thousands of people during that time.

About half of the story takes place on the road, the Joad family traveling from Oklahoma to California and their struggles along the way. They lose several family members before they even get to California. Their journey and constant optimistic outlook for what they hope they will achieve in California is what the story is really about. Unfortunately for me the writing is a bit dry and drawn out. Steinbeck's over use of descriptions feel unnecessary and continue for many sentences. While it sets the scene for the time period, it adds little value for the actual story.

The character of Jim Casy and his relationship with young Tom Joad starts off the story. He's a former priest that doesn't want to be a priest anymore, but can't help but preach and help people. He has a small but great character arc, becoming a leader for the worker's. Jim Casy talks about “decent folks trying to live a decent life and raise decent children” (pg. 250). Which is the theme that Steinbeck writes about, people trying to live “the American dream”. Casy ends up inspiring Tom Joad to continue his work, fighting for the right's of farm workers.

Another interesting character is Rose of Sharon (aka Rosasharn), Tom Joad, jr's newlywed younger sister. Rose of Sharon keeps talking about the life she and her husband Connie will make for themselves. It reminds me of George telling Lenny over and over about the farm they will someday buy, in “Of Mice and Men”. It's a repeated theme in Steinbeck's work, fantasizing about an optimistic future when reality is very bleak. It's not until the very end that her character finally shows some growth and is able to accept her circumstances.

The main reason to read the book is for the characters. Their development over the course of the book is subtle but real. There's some great speeches and moments throughout the book. Ma's speech “up ahead there's a thousand lives we might live, but when it comes, it'll only be one (pg. 124). Offers good insight into how she views her life and place in the world. This is in response to all of the speculation about their future life in California. Many things could happen, but in the end only one thing will happen and it's that decision that determines your life's outcome. The book provides a good struggle of migrant workers during the Great Depression.

While I didn't enjoy this book as I was hoping to, but I can see the value in knowing the history of people struggling during the Great Depression. So, I would recommend it as a read for people,, but not something that you should put high on your list. There are plenty of other Steinbeck novels that I would recommend reading first. Not done with Steinbeck yet, still have three more books to review! So, make sure to keep checking back.

Works Cited

Steinbeck, J. (2017). The grapes of wrath. Penguin Books.

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/grapesofwrath/section1/