The Grapes of Wrath

In 1939, John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath in which he depicts the struggle of common man during the Great Depression. This is one of Steinbeck's most popular novels and one that is studied often in schools. Steinbeck lived during the Depression and, as a result, he became a witness to “those years of social trauma and suffering” (Dickstein 2). He shows how people are suffering through his writing, which helped “further transform the public’s perception of ‘the folk’” (Dunlap 6). In the novel the Joads and their friend Reverend Casy leave the land they had owned for generations and they head out to California, a place where they believe they will find hope and prosperity. But, like most families who had to leave the southwest, all they found was poverty and despair while working as migrant farmers.

The main character, Tom Joad, witnesses the struggle of the poor struggling at the mercy of the rich. Joad observes the contrasts between the “abundance of the privileged few and the privation of the numerous poor” (Dunlap 9). Steinbeck also uses the Joads to show that in times of social upheaval, family must expand to include those related by plight, as well those related by blood. By the end of the novel, the Joads are no longer in a condition of self-concern; they have recognized their spiritual bond with the rest of the human race. This changing concept of family is closely tied to the allusions of socialism and unionism, which run throughout the novel. (Hinton 1)

Sources:
Dickstein, Morris. "Steinbeck and the Great Depression." South Atlantic Quarterly 103.1 (2004): 111-131. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 Apr. 2010.

Dunlap, James. "Through the Eyes of Tom Joad: Patterns of American Idealism, Bob Dylan, and the Folk Protest Movement." Popular Music & Society 29.5 (2006): 549-573. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 Apr. 2010.

Hinton, Rebecca. "Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath." Explicator 56.2 (1998): 101. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.

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