John Steinbeck

Kevin Hearle

Contains the text of Steinbeck's novel depicting the struggles of migrant workers and includes essays on its social and literary context

Text and Criticism

The Grapes of Wrath

Alina

How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?

kemi

Rhiannon Ellery

“[…] his little piece of a soul wasn’t no good ’less it was with the rest, an’ was whole. Funny how I remember. Didn’ think I was even listenin’. But I know now a fella ain’t no good alone.”

it’s our land. We measured it and broke it up. We were born on it, and we got killed on it, died on it. Even if it’s no good, it’s still ours. That’s what makes it ours—being born on it, working it, dying on it. That makes ownership, not a paper with numbers on it.

We’re sorry. It’s not us. It’s the monster. The bank isn’t like a man.

The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses.

You’re buying years of work, toil in the sun; you’re buying a sorrow that can’t talk.

You and me—why, we’re all that’s been. The anger of a moment, the thousand pictures, that’s us. This land, this red land, is us; and the flood years and the dust years and the drought years are us. We can’t start again.

The man who is more than his chemistry, walking on the earth, turning his plow point for a stone, dropping his handles to slide over an outcropping, kneeling in the earth to eat his lunch; that man who is more than his elements knows the land that is more than its analysis. But the machine man, driving a dead tractor on land he does not know and love, understands only chemistry; and he is contemptuous of the land and of himself. When the corrugated iron doors are shut, he goes home, and his home is not the land.

The people in flight from the terror behind—strange things happen to them, some bitterly cruel and some so beautiful that the faith is refired forever.

There is little difference between this tractor and a tank. The people are driven, intimidated, hurt by both. We must think about this.

There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success.

Trip Dunham 

There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do.

Depicts the hardships and suffering endured by the Joads as they journey from Oklahoma to California during the Depression.

I struggled through this just to have it end like that?! That’s not even nice, Steinbeck. Ma is the standout character here- she is the mover and the shaker of the fam’bly. Gritty and an eye-opener, but there are plenty of authors who have done the same, but better. 

Kristen Savage

Jordan Chan 

Furore

Non riesco a descrivere la tristezza che mi ha messo addosso al momento 

Annabella

Shocking and controversial when it was first published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize-winning epic remains his undisputed masterpiece. It tells of the Joad family who travel West in search of the promised land, and find only broken dreams.

I guess there's a reason Steinbeck always comes up in recommended reading lists, this book is masterful. 

Laying bare the very human impacts of capitalism on the populations of the United States in the 1930s. This book is so raw and full of empathy. 

Liam Richardson

I guess there's a reason Steinbeck always comes up in recommended reading lists, this book is masterful. 

Laying bare the very human impacts of capitalism on the populations of the United States in the 1930s. This book is so raw and full of empathy. 

Strongly recommended reading.

Set against he background of Dust Bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life, it tells of the Joad family, who are forced to travel west insearch of work - First published in 1939.

Sarah Sammis

Didn’t expect it to end the way it did and some chapters seemed to drag on but overall a good read

Emily Lucie

Früchte des Zorns. Roman.

Elias Butting

Tobias V. Langhoff

This was an interesting book to read in the current political climate; very probably it's always relevant. Set after the First Red Scare in the US, and during the Great Depression and the start of the New Deal, it's a great historical novel about an American period in particular, but parallels to today's loss of work forces to automation, mass migration in Europe, and of course Trump's rise and support from rural US states, were all in the back of my mind while reading.

Most of all, the novel is about capitalism. It can probably serve as pretty eye-opening for people not familiar with social dumping, union crushing, the role of cops as protectors of the capitalist class, and so on. I understand why people at the time considered it communist propaganda.

There's also a lot of obvious religious imagery, as there also was in East of Eden, the most obvious probably being the initials of the forlorn preacher Jim Casy. The ending also seems pretty religious. I suppose it was in part meant to be a part of the theme of family, which is pervasive throughout; family is the most important bond, but that among the labour migrants, everyone is family.

Steinbeck's prose is second to few. I partly listened to this book as an audiobook narrated by Dylan Baker; at first I disliked his narration but loved his voices and accents, but I ended up very impressed by his interpretation.

La grande depressione del 29. La miseria, la fame, le mille difficoltà, ma anche la grande umanità, lo spirito, la disponibilità ad aiutarsi reciprocamente nelle difficoltà. Potente.

Aurelio Palmieri

Erin Darlyn

I read up to chapter 11, then read reviews and summaries of the book before reading the ending and moving this to my “did not finish” shelf. 

(Note: I had to create a “did not finish” shelf just for this book. I am not the sort to perpetually start reading books only to toss them aside unfinished.)

I could see what the author was doing and appreciated that he accomplished his goal so well but I just have no interest in spending more hours of my life continuing to read the rest of the book. 

The descriptive scenes of the environment are beautifully cinematic in their composition and there is a description of an iron man on an iron monster (a tractor driven by a man who has become little more than a replaceable cog in a wheel) that is so stunningly written that I dog-eared the page so I could easily find it again.

Aside from those two things of note, however, the book has no redeeming qualities. Not every story needs to have a happy ending or to be uplifting or positive or hopeful to be a good one (this one has none of those qualities), but when it is also not in the least bit enjoyable to read, I have a hard time justifying spending time I can never regain on continuing to read it. 

Not one of the characters introduced thus far is at all likable or endearing. Their dialogue is so excessively riddled with profanity that I counted over 80 occurrances before I stopped numbering them (and remember, I only read chapters 1-10). The ending is not at all satisfying and is actually quite strange; perhaps even a little disturbing. 

All in all, this was just not the book for me. There are others that I think far more worthy of the descriptors commonly bestowed upon masterful works, and I could not be happier (or more relieved) to put this book away knowing I shall never finish it so I can move on to another (much better) classic.

maddie

literally the most boring ever (it was for school lol)

‘To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.’

Drought and economic depression are driving thousands from Oklahoma. As their land becomes just another strip in the dust bowl, the Joads, a family of sharecroppers, decide they have no choice but to follow. They head west, towards California, where they hope to find work and a future for their family. But while the journey to this promised land will take its inevitable toll, there remains uncertainty about what awaits their arrival…

Carmen Maria

Laura Mauler

Lila R E

completing this was a FEAT. steinbeck if you're reading this i do adore you but i'm going to have to take a break from you now <3

Lamia Hajani

It's honestly much too slow-paced for me. Not my type of read.

Michael Springer

I liked The Grapes of Wrath quite a bit, but I think East of Eden is a better book. This book was a lot of bleakness and darkness, with a conclusion that surprised me but worked very well for the book. That being said, a couple of the characters were developed so slightly that I had trouble keeping track of which one was which. The main four or five characters, however, were all very well developed.

Ioana Kardos

Starting from simple truths such as "the more grace a girl got in her, the quicker she wants to go out in the grass", Steinbeck introduces the reader to the world of immigrants, to the people who were kicked out of their houses by the corporates, people who have experienced tragedy, who have mounted pain and suffering that is beyond human understanding. But they're not angry, they're fond of their folks, but never show it. To others they are the ones who would renounce shoes and clothing, and when even hope is gone, they would have the rifle and nothing else. They have to leave all their belongings, sell them and go away, to unknown and foreign places. But here come some questions: "How can we live without our lives? How will we know it's us without our past?" On the other hand, in the little ones world, empathy for the big brother, who went to prison because he killed another man, makes children fight to be 'the prisoner' in their games. Throughout the book, Steinbeck makes you feel like you're one of them too, gradually feeding the wrath and outrage in his reader's heart. Why wrath? Because there's no way out once you encounter the world of immigrants, of dirty people who live in tents, who seldom take a bath, who would work all day for some bones for soup. You empathise for Tom and hope at least his life would turn out ok, you feel sory for Rose's unborn child but in the end... You finally get to understand that the author's scope is achieved for every reader, because you feel WRATH.

 is an excruciating chronicle of 'mighty' america's downfall that still resonates today. the migrants' suffering is so poignantly written it makes my heart hurt, and i keep thinking about the end of chapter 19 which works as a summary of the entire thing: 'pray god some day kind people won’t all be poor. pray god some day a kid can eat.'

the grapes of wrath is an excruciating chronicle of 'mighty' america's downfall that still resonates today. the migrants' suffering is so poignantly written it makes my heart hurt, and i keep thinking about the end of chapter 19 which works as a summary of the entire thing: 'pray god some day kind people won’t all be poor. pray god some day a kid can eat.'

Dave | Storyphoria

Full review at:
https://aicpod.com/2022/02/10/john-st...


The Grapes of Wrath brings a beautiful and heartbreaking focus on humanity. Through this story we are given a look at the true power of family, the horror of how far people will go to maintain their positions of power, and ultimately how, no matter what, there is a determination to find a way to survive no matter the cost.

This isn’t a fairy tale with a happily ever after ending.

It’s a dark read that will wear on you as you push through it. But it’s a journey worth taking, if only to gain an appreciation for what that generation of people had to go through in order to simply survive.

Without their determination and grit, OUR generations wouldn’t exist. And this story serves as a tremendous monument of thanks that is worth the journey to experience. Heavy subject matter makes for heavy reading, and this look at the intense brutality of the Great Depression is not to be taken lightly. 

It’s every bit deserving of it’s legendary status, but it is incredibly difficult to get through. A heartbreaking story with moments of beauty that seep through the ever present horrifying darkness and difficulty of life for these characters.

The bottom line is that it’s a grind to get through, even though it’s FULL of masterful, powerful, and beautiful writing from John Steinbeck.

Second time through. Still love this book. Still so very relevant.

Jeffery Battersby

Colette McDermed

I simply couldn't get into this book. The beginning was dull and boring, and I never appreciate his sexist creepy content that the characters always incorporate into their language. (I understand it was written a long time ago but still it's unsettling to read)

A.L.L.

Excellent, excellent book. I understand why it's a classic. 

More importantly, I understand why it's on so many required reading lists. The Great Depression may have passed, but the conditions of farm workers is still pretty bad in so many places in this country. This book brings home the importance of fighting for better and more fair working conditions. Trade the dust bowl migrants for any migrant worker in the USA and I think your empathy will grow.

As Vinhas da ira

Nelson Zagalo

É um clássico, podemos até sentir o texto datado, o relato bastante simplista e linear, no entanto não podemos deixar de confirmar o modo e a força com que somos transportados para o pós-Grande Depressão (1929) e que sentimos as dificuldades das vidas de milhares de americanos que tudo perderam, sem perceberem como, nem porquê. O livro tem problemas, mas o que tem de bom compensa tudo isso. Por isso continua a recomendar-se.

[imagem]
A edição que li foi da coleção Mil Folhas do Público que utiliza a tradução de Virgínia Motta realizada para a Livros do Brasil

Provavelmente aquilo que de menos gostei foi da tradução, parece-me estar longe do nível de eloquência do original, sofrendo ainda mais pela tentativa, sem sentido, da Livros do Brasil de produzir um português que satisfaça Portugal e Brasil, redundando numa mescla que não é uma coisa nem outra. O livro perde muito, e espero que um dia ganhe uma tradução feita com maior proximidade ao original e ao português de Portugal. O original em inglês não é propriamente fácil de seguir para não-nativos nomeadamente ao nível dos diálogos que aproximam a escrita da fala.

Quanto à estrutura, pode-se dizer que é bastante linear, um arco completo com bastante progressão na ação o que torna a leitura, em partes, bastante acessível e prazerosa. Por outro lado, não gostei de um artifício criado por Steinbeck, que assentou em intercalar os capítulos da história com capítulos mais abstratos e filosóficos sobre o estado das coisas, e a condição humana. Fez-me lembrar os videojogos que precisam de intercalar a interação com pequenos clipes de filme para que se perceba o que a história está a tentar contar. Acaba funcionando como um rótulo de menoridade ao leitor, que supostamente seria incapaz de compreender todo o alcance do que está a ser relatado à família Joad no seio da História americana da depressão económica. Como se Steinbeck tivesse necessidade de reforçar a sua visão política do que descreve, para lhe permitir chegar a questões que quer abordar mas que não encontrou forma por via da história. Não fosse a história tão impressiva, e consideraria o livro, por esta razão, um falhanço.

Já na parte do conteúdo, das ideias que Steinbeck procura defender, existe algum excesso de zelo em defesa do realismo socialista, como tábua de salvação para todos males desencadeados pelo vil metal. Sim, tanto em 1929 como em 2008, as massas da população foram vítimas da falta de escrúpulos de quem lidou com os dinheiros de todos, de quem olhava apenas aos modelos económicos e esquecia que por debaixo desses existiam seres humanos reais. Isso trouxe tudo o que de pior existe no ser-humano — o racismo, a xenofobia, o desprezo pelo outro — a total desconsideração pelos valores humanos. Por outro lado, não podemos pensar como sendo algo fácil, lidar com milhões de deslocados, nem nessa altura, nem hoje, nem nunca. Continuo a defender que devemos receber todas as pessoas que precisam de se deslocar, mas não podemos esquecer que essas vão estar imensamente vulneráveis, e que mesmo um Estado rico podendo ajudar bastante, não pode de forma alguma chegar a todos, e que no meio de tudo isso haverá muito aproveitamento por parte de quem já estava nos lugares antes. Isso faz parte da sobrevivência humana, claramente que devemos vergar esses instintos pela lei, mas será mero paliativo, precisamos de agir sobre o que antecede, ou seja, em formas de evitar essas deslocações massivas. O que era preciso nessa altura, era ter criado as condições para as pessoas permanecerem nos seus terrenos e nas suas casas, lugar em que elas se sentiam bem, pois nenhum outro lugar por mais acolhedor que fosse poderia oferecer as alegrias do lugar em que aquela família tinha crescido e unido o seu sentir.

Sei bem que é fácil em teoria, e que em lugares como a Síria da atualidade isto se tornou uma impossibilidade. Mas por culpa de quem? Nossa. Europeus, americanos, russos, árabes, todos se acharam no direito de intervir num país que era soberano, e todos contribuíram para a sua total destruição. Hoje mandar os sírios de volta não adianta, eles já não têm lugar para onde voltar. Mas os EUA não sofreram pressões do exterior, o governo americano devia ter agido nas expropriações, na destruição de valor por via das quebras em bolsa. Ao permitir que a sociedade seguisse o seu rumo, sem qualquer regulação, criou um problema muito maior com os milhões de pessoas a mover-se massivamente.

Uma outra questão que surge aqui bastante evidente, na assunção de uma realidade idilicamente socialista, é o problema da falta de qualificação da mão-de-obra. Nessa altura já vivíamos num pós-Revolução Industrial, uma revolução que veio exigir das pessoas muito mais, não bastava força bruta, porque essa já pertencia às máquinas. Do mesmo modo hoje já não basta saber ler, escrever e contar. Não digo isto por acaso, mas porque vai existindo um discurso perigoso emanado de certas alas da sociedade que olham para a escola como algo pouco relevante, e que se acentuou recentemente com a internet, porque o conhecimento é de todos e todos lhe podem aceder, esquecendo que o mundo complexo em que vivemos não pode ser servido por meras pesquisas na internet. O progresso que vamos vivendo não exigiu, não exige, nem exigirá menos escola, mas mais, muito mais competências e capacidades finas que só estarão ao alcance de muito estudo e treino diários no tempo.

E no caso relatado na obra de Steinbeck, sabemos que o estado americano teve as suas culpas em não apostar numa rede pública de educação que assegurasse a elevação das capacidades da sua população, mas sabemos bem como certas franjas, nomeadamente no interior dos EUA olham para a escola pública, acusando-a de braço ideológico do governo, optando por escolarizar em casa, e até em alguns casos sequer escolarizar, como tem vindo a público em vários relatos recentes (ver "Educated: A Memoir" (2018) de Tara Westover ou "The Glass Castle" (2005) de Jeannette Walls).


Publicado no VI: https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...

Kelsey Lynn

My brother, his wife, and my partner started a book club, and for the first round, we all picked a classic. So far we've done Anna Karenina, Moby Dick, and now Grapes of Wrath. To be honest, I was least excited about this, but it is for sure my favorite so far. 

 This book is accessible, it is written well, and easy without overtly flowery language or metaphor. I already hated capitalism, as someone who works hard (teacher), but gets paid poorly, and is buried under student debt. Who can't get entry-level jobs because 2008 changed that for everyone. Who at 31, has started the grief process that my partner and I may never be able to responsibly afford to have a child. 
 
 One of my favorite books of all time is "The Dispossessed" which already made me mad at "the system". But this book. I was amazed and saddened about the relevance to modern society. Reading about busting unions in Akron, to open my phone to Amazon busting unions and firing people. To discussing with teachers who are getting hired for less and less and hearing " But we need to pay our bills, so they'll pay us less, and some will leave, but someone will always say yes, so next year they'll pay even less". It's 2021, and that was a conversation I saw. 
 
 This book was beautiful, sad, and powerful. I felt at times Steinbeck lost his way, characters were removed from the story abruptly, and the ending was instinctively weird, but ultimately beautiful and sad when you think about it. 

This is a book to make you think. It's no wonder it was banned, as it really draws attention to the flaws of our society, flaws that continue into our "modern" age.

The Grapes of Wrath Text and Criticism