Grapes of Wrath: Analysis of of John Steinbeck’s Masterpiece

The history of world literature is generally full of novels that deal with emotional and painful events. While reading these works, sometimes we feel sorry for Prince Andrei, as in War and Peace, and sometimes we feel pain while spending the last day of the Condemned Man with him. In line with that the Grapes of Wrath will deeply affect the reader in exactly the same way. Especially towards the end of the book, you will start to ask yourself questions, fearing what will happen to the Joad family. In fact, as the family continues their journey on Highway 66, which connects the East and the West, you will feel as if you are with them.

On this highway, you will sometimes rejoice and sometimes you will feel like you are swaying among their belongings on the top of their trucks. Author John Steinbeck expressed the suffering caused by the serious economic recession and depression experienced in America after the Great Depression of 1929 so realistically.

It should not be forgotten that although America was an economically wealthy country, it was in a very bad situation in terms of income distribution in the 1930s, when the events that constitute the subject of the work took place. (The situation is not much different today.)

In that period, after the industrial revolution, life became difficult for farm owners as agriculture also began to industrialize. In this context, the economic crisis of 1929 and the great drought (Dust Bowl) that followed caused farmers and landowners who were indebted to banks to lose their land to large banks and companies. The results of this situation are also analysed in the book. In particular, as a devastating concept, unemployment and hunger are repeatedly slapped in the face of readers.

What is The Grapes of Wrath About?

The author actually criticizes the capitalist system through the forced migration journey of Tom Joad and his family. While doing this, he also analyses the American culture and social structure of the period. The comparison between east and west he makes at certain periods and the definition of “Okie” also show this situation. Our author, who is on the side of labour and workers, also makes references to communism with the definitions of “reds” in certain parts of the book.

The author of the book the Grapes of Wrath, written in 1939 and approximately 540 pages, John Steinbeck was born in 1902 and was the child of a farming family. The fact that he handled the working class very well in his writings and books is due to the fact that he worked as a labourer and farmer at certain periods of his life. Let’s also add that he won the Pulitzer Award for this book in 1940.

On the other hand, it would be a lie to say that you will finish reading the novel in one breath when you first pick it up. Because you will have difficulty getting into the subject, especially in the first 25-30 pages of the Grapes of Wrath book. Our advice at this point is to continue reading this valuable work without giving up. Because in the rest of the novel, the plot will take you in its hands and hold you tightly, and the descriptions will decrease over time.

Especially after the middle of the book, you will want to finish it as soon as possible without putting it down. Of course, we would like to state that your heart will burn during this process and maybe a drop of tears will flow from your eyes.

Historical Context: The Great Depression and Its Impact

This work, which even the American President Roosevelt of the time said, “I don’t think the book’s narrative is exaggerated,” was criticized for “communist” propaganda when it was first published. In this concept, the author criticized and discussed in the book how capitalists sometimes call anyone with a legitimate idea that doesn’t suit their interests “red.” According to him, the capitalist bourgeois class uses liberalism as a weapon and labels anyone who seeks their rights as a communist.

In fact, in one part of the book, when a local worker asks, “What does communist mean?” his boss says, “Someone who wants 30 cents for a job while he was getting 25 cents an hour.” The worker then says, “Then we are all communists.”

Along with that, the theme of hunger emphasized in the book reaches its peak in the final scene of the the Grapes of Wrath novel. The character Rose of Sharon, who lost her baby during birth due to her experiences on the journey, is forced to breastfeed a person who is about to die of starvation in the final scene. In addition, in one of the scenes very close to the finale, our main character Tom Joad states that he will now leave his family and fight to defend the rights of the oppressed. In this scene, the awakening that begins among the people is given through the relevant character to readers.

Key Themes in The Grapes of Wrath and Plot Summary

Our story is actually a journey and migration story that includes hope from east to west. The story begins with the parole of the family’s eldest son Tom from McAlester prison. Tom Joad, who had killed the other party in a fight in order to defend himself, has been in prison for a few years and therefore does not know the situation of his family. On the way home, he encounters the priest Casy. He takes him with him and goes to his home. Our hero is shocked by the sight he sees when he arrives at their farm.

After the Great Depression, there was also a dust bowl and the crops were ruined, so his family had to give their land to the bank in return for the debts they had received. Since the bank would now be plowing the territory with tractors, it demanded that all the people in that region vacate the land. This is how the migration journey began. Then, learning that his family has temporarily settled in his Uncle John’s house and will embark on a journey of hope towards California, Tom immediately goes there.

The events take off from this point on and you cannot put the book down. The Joad family, led by the elderly mother and father, sell everything they own, load it onto a “truck”, one of the characters in the novel, and set off from Oklahoma to California, to the orchards, to become workers. This journey will include deaths, accidents, and pain, and therefore life itself. Thanks to the author’s incredible descriptions and empathy, the reader will find himself in the middle of events like a person on top of the truck.

Symbolism and Imagery in the Novel

During this series of events, you will sometimes be angry at the capitalist system, sometimes think about your own life and be grateful, and sometimes clench your fists in anger. Ultimately, the plot of events unfortunately does not develop as the family wants, and when they arrive in California, they cannot find the job they were hoping for. One of the most important themes in the book, the concept of family, will also disintegrate during this journey. In other words, some members of the family will die, and some members will get tired of being together and leave to fend for themselves.

The the Grapes of Wrath novel deals with the issues of society, religion and state under the economic conditions of the period. In other words, during the great migration movement caused by both the crisis and drought conditions, the support each other of the working people in the resting places is emphasized in detail.

In this step, we should emphasize that one of the most striking parts of the work is the fruit in the orchards in California being left to rot so that the prices increase. According to the author, while the fruit is left to rot on the one hand, the children of the working people are starving on the other. This is also a harsh criticism of capitalism, which approaches everything with a profit-oriented approach. After all, people are starving to death so that the prices do not fall.

The people’s wrath is growing in the face of this situation, which is insignificant for large companies. Perhaps this is why the book is called “The Grapes of Wrath”. Here, there is a reference to the rich orchards and the people’s growing anger and wrath.

Grapes of Wrath Character Analysis: The Joad Family!

As you can appreciate, the most basic character of the book is the “American farmers” who were displaced from their lands and homes. When we read the book through this general character, the basic message that the novel wants to give is that “if society comes together and acts in an organized manner, no obstacle can stand in its way.” In addition, it should be noted that the main character of the book is Tom Joad, and the other supporting characters are the priest Casy and Tom’s mother. The character referred to as the “ma” in the book will constantly strive to keep the family together.

Therefore, first of all, the family should stay together and support each other. The character “ma”, who believes that all problems will be solved in this way, will see painfully that his family is falling apart as a result of the migration and the events that followed. The character of Casy is a character who used to be a priest and then left this profession. In fact, the religious analysis of the novel is made through Casy. This character, who also criticizes religious philosophy from time to time, actually states that God lies in human love and that this spirit is distributed to everyone.

Our Grapes of Wrath book’s main character, Tom, is a strong character who has matured during prison life and has held himself for his mother’s sake against the injustices he has encountered along the way. Although he is patient during the migration, his patience will run out towards the end of the book and he will leave his family to resist the injustices. We are sure that you will be surprised by the difficulties he encounters from time to time and the resilience he shows in the face of these difficulties.

Other Characters of the Novel

In addition, some of the social criticisms and dialogues are also given to the reader through this character.

Although the main characters of The Grapes of Wrath are like this, there are also side characters such as Al Joad, Rose of Sharon, Ruthie, Winfield, Connie, father, Uncle John, Noah, grandfather, grandmother, Wilson family and Mulley. The roles of these characters and the time they appear in the analyses are relatively less.

Finally, it should be noted that if you like American literature, realist and emotional novels, we definitely recommend you to read this novel.