The Grapes of Wrath in Never too Late to Read Classics

May 29, 2012 midnightfaerie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, rory-gilmore

This book is phenomenal.
This book held my attention through superb writing in typical Steinbeck style. And he does a good job of capturing the essence of what it was like to be a part of the Dust Bowl, as well as the economic hardship the Joads go through as they look for work. But it was so sad. Don't get me wrong, though, because this book stands out even among classics. And its importance in the place it will take in our Literature History is significant.
Tom Joad, the main character, just doe This book is phenomenal.
This book held my attention through superb writing in typical Steinbeck style. And he does a good job of capturing the essence of what it was like to be a part of the Dust Bowl, as well as the economic hardship the Joads go through as they look for work. But it was so sad. Don't get me wrong, though, because this book stands out even among classics. And its importance in the place it will take in our Literature History is significant.
Tom Joad, the main character, just doesn't seem to get any breaks and even though he's been paroled from jail on good behavior, his integrity, though solid, is constantly in question. I admit it, I'm a happy ending junkie at heart, and this book was overall depressing and hard to digest for me. But I think that's the whole point.

It's definitely a classic, filling many of my qualifications as such. Joad's struggles that he overcomes gives him a strength and rectitude not easy to come by. The endurance of his character is evidence of many of the themes relating to the human condition. Law and order vs. freedom, poverty vs. wealth, and man vs. society are just a few of these. The novel is controversial in that its sparked many a debate over the years as well as being banned and burned over and over again. It has a huge following of readers as well as having what I call the "Magic Factor", a type of story that easily draws you into the plight of the characters. It's also has longevity, withstanding the test of time and will still be considered relevant in the far future. I also think it has substantial influence, impacting how the world views society and politics throughout our history. But most of all, and the biggest reason I believe that Steinbeck won the Pulitzer, National Book Award, and Nobel Prize is his unique style of writing. Not only do his characters come to life in a big way, but he addresses themes in a way that any and all can relate to. In this accessible prose style, he touches your heart with sympathy and anger for what these people have gone through, which are both things he's fully tried to invoke in the reader, especially anger. Steinbeck is overall just a beautiful writer, and whether one enjoys the story or not, you can't argue with his aptitude at the craft.

One more thing I have to mention is a little tidbit I wasn't aware of when I read the book that I found while doing research on it. Something that's so obvious once I found it after, but didn't even think to ponder while I was reading the book. The title of the book, The Grapes of Wrath, is in reference to the song The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The specific lyrics:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on."

These lyrics refer, in turn, to the biblical passage Revelation 14:19–20, an apocalyptic appeal to divine justice and deliverance from oppression in the final judgment. "And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."

Also, some other fun facts:
- In July 2013 Steven Spielberg announced his plans to direct a remake of The Grapes of Wrath for DreamWorks.
- Bruce Springsteen named his eleventh studio album The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), after the character.
- The song Dust Bowl Dance by Mumford & Sons is based on the novel.
- Bad Religion have a song entitled "Grains of Wraith" on their 2007 album.
- Woody Guthrie has a song, "The Ballad of Tom Joad" from the album Dust Bowl Ballads.
- South Park aired an episode entitled "Over Logging". The episode parodies Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, as the Marsh family heads to California to find more Internet.

And there are many more examples of how this book has influenced us. Overall, even though the story was depressing, this book is excellent and essential to anyone considering themselves well read. ...more

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Jul 25, 2024 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: published-1900-1999, challenge-bingo-2024, pulitzer-prize-winners, classics-500-plus-pages, read-date-unknown, read-classics, to-read-in-2024

In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wrote a searing account of the hatred and abuse that many Californians inflicted on the great number of migrants who fled the terrible dust storms in the Dust Bowl region of the United States in the 1930s. These massive, unrelenting dust storms destroyed these people economically; and they were forced to leave home, hit the road with what they could carry, and hope to start again in the farmlands of California where they were told thousands of jobs awaited ...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Sarah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I keep wanting to be a Steinbeck fan, I really should like him. But I don't. This book was depressing, and had such a bleak ending. OK, I get it, life sucked for these people. ...more

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