FREE ESSAY ON GRAPES OF WRATH

GRAPES OF WRATH

The Grapes of Wrath
By John Stienbeck
Review By Nic Sherlock
This book was published in 1975 but written in the 1930's. It won the Pulitzer Prize and
the author also won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature. The book is a story of the Joad
family, and their trip to California. It tells of the migration of thousands of homeless
families from Oklahoma to California. It follows the Joad family, who, evicted from the
land by the bank decide to head for the 'Golden West' to a land of plenty. When there
they encounter poverty and oppression. The book stirs emotion from deep within. It shows
the strength of the human spirit under stress and the dreadful conditions the Joad family
suffered.
The Joad family began with Ma, Pa, Granpa, Granma, Tom, Al, Ruthie, Connie, Rose of
Sharon, Winfield, Uncle John and Casey a former preacher. Whilst on the road they meet
the Wilsons who let the Joad's use their tent when Granpa was dying. Many other
characters drift in and out during the unfolding story. The character of Tom Joad is the
most interesting. 
Tom is the oldest child and a paroled convict. He was sent to Pentridge when during a
drunken fight he hit a neighbor's son over the head with a shovel killing him in the
process. On release he hitches back to his parents' farm and on arrival finds the
shocking truth - it is deserted with the doors ripped off. He finds out from a neighbor
who is living off the land while hiding from the bank that, his family and many others
were evicted from the land by the bank. He then walks to his uncle John's whereupon he
finds his family loading up the truck to head for California. He is invaluable to his
family, using the skills he learnt in prison - car repair, reading and writing. He keeps
the whole family moving at times. His younger brother Al who thinks he is god reveres
him. 
A theme that comes through strongly is that a family is a family and should never be
broken up either willingly or unwillingly. This can be seen in many places throughout the
book. When they are about to leave Ma has still not heard from Tom whom she believes is
still in Pentridge. She is worried and doesn't want to leave. She is extremely relieved
when he arrives even if it is unannounced. Unemployment is another major theme through
the book. The Joad family head west to California to find work but the dreams do not
materialize and they remain jobless and with little money. The biggest theme through the
book is money. Every time the family need food, petrol, or car repairs they need money.
It is a constant specter haunting their heads every day especially on the trip west. They
did not know whether they had enough money to actually arrive in California. 
The Grapes of Wrath is realist fiction novel. The author has gone to great lengths in his
thick description and inventive but realistic dialogue. This included with the very
realistic themes makes good reading. John Steinback shows his disapproval of the bankrupt
socio-political and economic system that led to the Great Depression of the 1930's that
is so well depicted in this book. This novel is as much an insight into the harsh
conditions endured by many out of work families in the Great Depression as an
entertaining read.
The book is not easy to read and at times is slow but in the end the result is an
entertaining and touching novel. The powerfully thick description allowed me to picture
the book in my mind's eye. That always helps me when reading. Overall it was a novel
worthy of the Pulitzer Prize it won.