Diksia.com - The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most celebrated and influential novels in American literature. Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939, it tells the story of the Joad family, a poor clan of tenant farmers from Oklahoma who are forced to leave their home and seek a better life in California during the 1930s. Along the way, they face many challenges and hardships, as well as encounter the harsh realities of the economic and social conditions of the era.
The novel is based on Steinbeck’s own observations and research, as well as his personal sympathy for the plight of the “Okies”, the derogatory term used for the thousands of migrants who fled the Dust Bowl, a region of severe drought and soil erosion that affected parts of the Great Plains. Steinbeck was inspired by the work of Dorothea Lange, a photographer who documented the lives and struggles of the migrants for the Farm Security Administration, a government agency that aimed to provide relief and assistance to the rural poor.
The Grapes of Wrath is not only a realistic and vivid portrayal of the Great Depression, but also a powerful and moving exploration of the themes of injustice, equality, human dignity, and social responsibility. The novel has been praised for its literary merit, its social criticism, and its moral vision, as well as criticized for its political bias, its sentimentalism, and its vulgarity. It won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and was a major factor in Steinbeck’s Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.
The Title and the Symbolism
The title of the novel comes from a line in “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, a patriotic song written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861 during the American Civil War. The song uses biblical imagery to express the idea of God’s wrath and judgment against the enemies of freedom and justice. The line “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored” refers to the Book of Revelation, where the winepress of God’s wrath is a metaphor for the final destruction of the wicked.
Steinbeck uses this phrase to suggest a parallel between the Civil War and the Great Depression, as well as to foreshadow the eventual uprising of the oppressed and exploited masses against the greedy and corrupt system that oppresses them. The grapes of wrath also symbolize the bitter fruits of the farmers’ labor, which are either destroyed by the natural disasters or taken away by the banks and the landowners. The grapes also represent the potential for growth and renewal, as they can be turned into wine, a symbol of life and celebration.
The Structure and the Style
The novel is divided into 30 chapters, which alternate between two types of narration: the intercalary chapters and the narrative chapters. The intercalary chapters are short, descriptive, and impersonal sections that provide a broader context and perspective on the historical and social situation of the time. They often use symbolic language and imagery to convey the mood and the message of the novel. For example, the first intercalary chapter describes the Dust Bowl and the effects of the drought on the land and the people, while the last intercalary chapter depicts the flood that threatens the Joads’ camp and their survival.
The narrative chapters are longer, more detailed, and more personal sections that focus on the Joad family and their journey. They use a realistic and colloquial style that reflects the dialect and the culture of the characters. They also use dialogue and action to reveal the personalities and the relationships of the family members and the other characters they meet along the way. For example, the second narrative chapter introduces Tom Joad, the protagonist of the novel, who is returning home from prison after serving four years for killing a man in self-defense. He meets Jim Casy, a former preacher who has lost his faith and joins the Joads on their journey.
The Characters and the Themes
The novel features a large and diverse cast of characters, each representing a different aspect of the human condition and the social conflict of the era. The main characters are the members of the Joad family, who undergo various changes and transformations throughout the novel. The most important ones are:
- Tom Joad: The eldest son of the family, who is a strong, rebellious, and compassionate man. He is the leader and the protector of the family, as well as the voice of Steinbeck’s social and political views. He evolves from a self-centered individual to a socially conscious activist, who realizes that he is part of a larger community and a greater cause. He is influenced by Jim Casy, who becomes his mentor and friend, and who sacrifices his life for the sake of the workers’ movement. Tom eventually follows Casy’s example and leaves the family to join the fight for justice and equality.
- Ma Joad: The matriarch of the family, who is a resilient, determined, and nurturing woman. She is the glue that holds the family together, as well as the source of their strength and hope. She faces many challenges and losses, but never gives up or breaks down. She is the embodiment of the maternal and the feminine principle, which contrasts with the patriarchal and the masculine system that dominates the society. She also represents the humanistic and the spiritual values that transcend the material and the economic ones.
- Pa Joad: The patriarch of the family, who is a hardworking, honest, and proud man. He is the owner and the farmer of the land, which is his identity and his legacy. He is devastated and humiliated when he loses his land and his authority, and becomes dependent on the charity and the mercy of others. He struggles to adapt to the new situation and to maintain his dignity and his role as the head of the family. He is the symbol of the traditional and the rural way of life, which is threatened and destroyed by the modern and the urban forces.
- Rose of Sharon: The eldest daughter of the family, who is pregnant with her first child. She is naive, selfish, and romantic, and dreams of a better life for herself and her baby. She is married to Connie, a young and ambitious man who abandons her and the family in California. She suffers a miscarriage and loses her baby, which is a tragic and symbolic event that represents the death of the future and the hope of the migrants. She also experiences a transformation and a redemption, when she offers her breast milk to a starving man, in an act of compassion and generosity that signifies the renewal of life and the spirit of the community.
The novel also features many other characters, such as Uncle John, Al, Noah, Ruthie, and Winfield, who are the other members of the Joad family; Granma and Grampa, who are the elders of the family and who die on the journey; Muley Graves, who is a neighbor and a friend of the Joads and who refuses to leave his land; Floyd Knowles, who is a migrant worker and a leader of a camp; the Wilsons, who are a couple who help the Joads on the road; the Wainwrights, who are a family who share a boxcar with the Joads; and many others who represent the different faces and fates of the migrants.
The novel explores many themes and issues that are relevant and universal, such as:
- The injustice and the inequality of the economic and the social system, which exploits and oppresses the poor and the powerless, and benefits and protects the rich and the powerful. The novel exposes the greed and the corruption of the banks, the landowners, the businessmen, and the authorities, who take away the land, the jobs, the rights, and the dignity of the farmers and the workers, and who use violence and intimidation to prevent them from organizing and protesting.
- The struggle and the hope of the human spirit, which endures and overcomes the hardships and the sufferings of the material and the physical world. The novel celebrates the courage and the resilience of the migrants, who refuse to give up or to surrender, and who seek a better life and a brighter future for themselves and their children. The novel also emphasizes the importance and the power of the family, the friendship, the solidarity, and the love, which provide the support and the comfort that the migrants need to survive and to thrive.
- The dignity and the value of the human being, which transcends the class and the status of the individual and the group. The novel challenges the stereotypes and the prejudices that the society has towards the migrants, who are often seen as ignorant, lazy, dirty, and inferior. The novel shows that the migrants are not different from the rest of the people, and that they have the same needs, desires, and dreams. The novel also affirms that the migrants have the same rights, responsibilities, and potentials, and that they deserve the same respect, recognition, and opportunities.
The Impact and the Legacy
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel that has had a profound and lasting impact on the American culture and the world literature. The novel has been widely read, studied, and admired by millions of readers and critics, who have recognized its artistic and literary qualities, as well as its social and historical significance. The novel has also been adapted into various forms of media, such as a film, a play, a musical, a radio drama, and a graphic novel, which have expanded and enriched its audience and its influence.
The novel has also inspired and influenced many other writers and artists, who have used its themes and motifs to create their own works of literature, music, art, and film. Some examples are:
- The Grapes of Wrath: The Opera, a musical adaptation of the novel by Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie, which premiered in 2007 and featured a score that blended classical, folk, and blues elements.
- The Ghost of Tom Joad, a song and an album by Bruce Springsteen, which was released in 1995 and dealt with the issues of poverty, homelessness, and social injustice in contemporary America.
- The Wrath of Grapes, a painting by Banksy, which was created in 2014 and depicted a riot police officer being hit by a bunch of grapes, as a commentary on the police brutality and the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri.
- The Wrath of Khan, a film by Nicholas Meyer, which was released in 1982 and was the second installment of the Star Trek franchise. The film borrowed the title and the plot from the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, which was also a source of inspiration for Steinbeck’s novel.
Conclusion
The Grapes of Wrath is a masterpiece of American literature that has transcended its time and place, and has become a universal and timeless tale of struggle and hope. The novel is a testament to the human spirit, which can overcome the most difficult and desperate situations, and can find meaning and purpose in the most adverse and hostile environments. The novel is also a call to action, which urges the readers to be aware and to care about the social and the moral issues that affect the world, and to be active and responsible citizens who can make a difference and create a better and fairer society.
